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THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 



























"I shall give you the loveliest thing I can think of : 
that you should always be happy” 


THE 

WISHING-FAIRY’S 
ANIMAL FRIENDS 

BY 

CORINNE INGRAHAM 

[“CORINNE”] 

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY 

Dugald Stewart Walker 



NEW YORK 

BRENTANO’S 


PUBLISHERS 





Copyright, 1921, by 

BRENTANO’S 


All rights reserved 


^ tx lx 



OCT 18 71 

§) C!. A 6 2 7 3 0 6 



Go 

MY CHILDREN 

CORINNE AND PHOENIX 
TO WHOM THESE LITTLE 
STORIES WERE FIRST TOLD 






\ 

















































































































































/ 

















CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I Cottontail and the Wishing- Fairy . . . u 

II Mr. and Mrs. Owl and the Wishing- Fairy . 20 

III The Kangaroo and the Wishing-Fairy . . 28 

IV The Ermine Goes to See Stella .... 33 

V The Elephant 40 

VI The Giraffe 46 

VII Mr. and Mrs. Pelican 53 

VIII The Squirrel and the Wishing-Fairy . . 61 

IX The Peacock Who Wanted Too Much . . 68 

X The Turtle’s Wish 76 

XI How the Lizard Became a Chameleon . . 86 

XII The Zebra and the Wishing-Fairy ... 94 

XIII Mr. and Mrs. Frog Go Back to Stella . . 100 

XIV The Porcupine 106 

XV The Caterpillar Who Was Tired of Himself i 13 

XVI The Monkeys Goto Stella 123 

XVII Brother and Sister Visit the Wishing-Fairy 129 



FOREWORD 



ELL a child stories of legends and of fairies, so that 
he can hear the music of the little creatures of the 
woods, and can sense the throbbing of the flowers’ 
hearts ; and you will have given him some- 
thing that will tint his whole life with 
beauty — a beauty which sordid details of 
t ^ ie wor *d can not smother. 

The y° un g mind should early be im- 
pregnated with the poetry of nature; for 
without doubt the impressions of baby- 
hood remain the most poignant of life. 


It is my conviction that only by constant repetition in the 
simple and direct wording familiar to a child can big under- 
lying truths be accentuated in his forming mind. 

With this in view I have tried in the following sketches to 
establish a certain animal fellowship, including a moral sig- 
nificance which the little one will unconsciously accept. 

I should like to see in every nursery a 


a bowl of fish and a pot of growing flo^ 


without, the wide, wild fields and wood' 
CORRINNE ING 





COTTONTAIL AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 


*AVE you ever heard of the little rabbit who 
felt sorry for himself? No? Well he was 
a nice little rabbit and he lived way down 
in a big hole in the ground. He lived with 
his little sisters and brothers and with his 
big Daddy Rabbit and Mother Rabbit. All 
day long he would play around and look for 
good things to eat, and at -night he would go 
to bed in a soft corner of the big hole, curl up 
and go fast asleep. 

It was nice and warm in the hole where the 
rabbits lived because Daddy and Mother Rabbit had put lots 
of soft grass down there to make their baby rabbits comfort- 
able. Sometimes at night when there was snow on the ground 



ii 


12 


THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


and the moon and the stars were shining up in the sky they 
would all wake up and come out of the hole and dance around 
on the snow. They danced and ran around and around and 
had a beautiful time. I know they would do this, because I 
have seen them, and in the morning I could even see on the 
snow the tiny marks of their funny little feet where they had 
been playing and dancing. 

They were all very happy except the little rabbit who was 
sorry for himself. His name was “Cottontail” because his 
tail looked like a little ball of white cotton. Now can you 
guess why he was sorry for himself ? No? Because he could 
not hear enough. He wanted to be able to hear everything — 
so what do you think he did? 

One night when Daddy and Mother Rabbit and all the baby 
rabbits were fast asleep he got up and crept out of the hole. 
He was very careful and quiet so as not to wake them up. He 
didn’t come out to dance and play. He began running! He 
ran just as fast as he could. Oh! 
How he ran! After running — klip- 
perty kip, klipperty-kip, klipperty-kip, 
for a long, long time he came to the 
End-of-the-earth — and that is very far 
away. 

Have you ever heard of the “Wish- 
ing-Fairy”? No? Well, the Wish- 
ing-Fairy lives at the End-of-the-earth 
and it is very hard to find her. 



COTTONTAIL AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 13 

Her name is “Stella” and she 
lives in a beautiful place with 
lovely flowers all around her 
and what do you think her little 
house is? A big, white lily! 

When she wants to sleep she goes 
into the lily and the lily closes 
up very tight and when she 
wakes up the lily opens wide so 
she can come out. The bell to 
her pretty lily-house is one of 
those cunning little golden 
things that are deep down in the 
middle of a flower. (You can 
see them in any flower if you look very carefully.) They are 
called stamens — at least some of them are called stamens but 
the biggest little golden thing is a pistil — (not the kind you 
shoot with) . 

If any one wants to wake Stella when she is in the lily-house 
they pull the tiny golden pistil and out she comes! 

Stella has a teeny, weeny crown on her head with a star on 
it and in her hand she holds a wand. That also has a star on 
it. Those stars were too small to stay in the sky where all the 
other stars are. So they fell down to earth and Stella caught 
them as they fell. Stella’s dress is made of rose leaves and she 
fans herself with a dragon-fly wing! What do you think she 
rides? A beautiful butterfly! She sits on the butterfly’s back 




14 the WISFIING-FAIRY’S animal friends 

and away they go through the air. 

The bees are buzzing around 
all day getting honey out of the 
flowers but there are two bees 
who get honey for Stella only. 
That is all she likes to eat, but 
she drinks water out of a blue- 
bell — because a blue-bell is just 
like a tiny cup — and every morn- 
ing there is one drop of water 
way down in it. 

There are lots of funny little men who take care of Stella. 
They are called Brownies and they sit on mushrooms and in 
Jack-in-the-pulpits. 

What do you think Stella’s lights are at night? The fire- 
flies! Have you ever seen fireflies? Well, you watch some 
evening and you will see tiny little lights all around that shine 
and then go out and shine and then go out; and you will know 
that they are the fireflies. 

Cottontail was very tired. He had been running for a 
long time, so he sat down to rest and all of a sudden he saw a 
Brownie hop down from a Jack-in-the-pulpit. 

“What do you want?” said the Brownie. 

“I want to see the Wishing-Fairy,” Cottontail answered. 

“Well,” said the Brownie, “you are much too big. First 
you must drink some of the water in that pool.” 



COTTONTAIL AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 


15 


“Why must I do that?” Cottontail asked. 

“Don’t talk so much. Try it and see what happens,” and 
the Brownie laughed and laughed. “You will be very sur- 
prised.” 

Cottontail was much bigger than the Brownie, so he 
couldn’t understand why he would be surprised ; but he wanted 
very much to see what was going to happen, so he hopped over 
to the pool and drank some of the water. 

“There,” he said, “I have had a drink 
out of the pool. I would like a carrot 
now.” 

“A carrot!” laughed the Brownie. “You 
drank in the ‘Get-little-pool’ and now you 
are too small to eat a carrot. A carrot is 
much bigger than you are now. You could 
not even hold a carrot in your paws. Look 
at your paws and see how small they are.” 
Cottontail looked at his paws, and, sure 
enough, they were tiny little things, and then he looked around 
at his tail and he could not see it at all. He was now as small 
as a — well, let’s see — as small as a baby mouse. He began to 
cry because he was frightened. 

“Oh, Brownie,” he cried. “I’m too small to eat and I think 
I am too small to get home. I live very far away. Oh, this 
is terrible!” and he began crying harder and harder. 



16 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


“Now that is all right, Cottontail. Stop crying,” — and the 
nice little Brownie patted him on the back. “You are small 
because you drank out of the Get-little-pool. You had to do 
that so as to be little enough to go in and see Stella. When you 
want to go home again, all you have to do is to drink out of the 
Get-big-pool and all of a sudden you will be just as you were 
before, and then you will be big enough to eat carrots and 
go klipperty-kip, klipperty-kip home again.” 

“Where is the Get-big-pool?” asked Cottontail. 

“There it is,” and the Brownie pointed to another pool that 
was close by them. “Do you want to see Stella, the Wishing- 
Fairy, now?” 

“Yes, indeed,” said Cottontail, and he began jumping up and 
down, for he was so glad. 

“Well, come with me,” said the little Brownie. “I think 
we will have to wake her up. Yes, the lily is closed. That 
means she is inside.” 

The Brownie went to the lily and pulled the little golden 
bell. 

All of a sudden the lily opened, and there stood Stella. She 
was so pretty that Cottontail could not say a word. He just 
looked and looked at her. 

“What is your name?” Stella asked him. 

“Cottontail is my name, and I live very, very far away. It 
took me a long time to reach the End-of-the-earth. I hope 
my Daddy and Mother don’t think that I am lost.” 

“Why did you come to see me?” the fairy asked. 


COTTONTAIL AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 17 

“Well, it is a secret,” answered Cottontail, looking sideways 
at the Brownie; for he wished to be alone with Stella. 

“All right,” said Stella, “come and whisper it in my ear.” 

Cottontail hopped over to her, and she put her head quite 
near his, and Cottontail whispered in her ear, “I came to 
you because you are called the Wishing-Fairy and you can 
make any wish come true. My wish is to have very big ears 
so that I can hear better. My mother says I am curious, and 
I think she must be right for I want to hear everything, all the 
funny little sounds in the woods and gardens and 
in the air. Can you do that for me?” 

“Yes, I can and I will,” answered Stella. “I 
am the Wishing-Fairy and I can make any wish 
come true. All I have to do is to wave my wand 
three times around your head while you make your 
wish and then — well, you will see.” 

Stella turned to the Brownie, who was sitting on a big mush- 
room near them, and told him to bring her the wand. When 
he came back with it, Stella told Cottontail to kneel down. 
He had a hard time doing it, because as you know rabbits do 
not kneel ; they sit on their hind legs. 

Cottontail knelt down and peeped out of the corner of hi« 
eye to see what was happening. 

Stella took the wand with the tiny star on the end of it and 
waved it slowly over his head. Cottontail had a very queer 
feeling in his head; but he did not dare move. Stella waved 
her wand again, and Cottontail felt his ears growing and grow- 



18 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

in g. Stella waved her wand a 
third time, and Cottontail was so 
excited that he jumped up and 
down and began hopping around 
and around. He was so happy; 
because all of a sudden his ears 
had become very, very long. 

“Oh, thank you, you nice 
Wishing-Fairy, my wish has 
come true! I am so glad. Why, now I can hear everything. 
I am very hungry. May I have a carrot?” 

The Brownie began to laugh, so Cottontail turned around 
and looked at him. 

“Why are you laughing, Mr. Brownie?” he asked. 

“I am laughing because you have forgotten that you will 
have to drink in the Get-big-pool before you are big enough 
to eat a carrot Come along with me and I will show you 
where it is.” 

Cottontail told Stella good-by and went with the Brownie. 
He leaned down over the pool and took a sip of water. All 
of a sudden he — what do you think? He was just as big as 
he had been before he drank the water out of the Get-little* 
pool. 






“And the Wishing-Fairy gave all of them long ears’’ 





































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COTTONTAIL AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 


19 


He was thinking that he had never had so many funny things 
happen to him, when he saw four Brownies pulling something. 
It seemed too heavy for them, and they were having a very 
hard time with it; so he hopped over to ask if he could help, 
and what do you think they were pulling? A carrot! Just 
one carrot! But you see the Brownies are not half as big as 
a carrot, so it must have been awfully heavy for them to 
carry. 

As Cottontail was terribly hungry he ate it all up, and then 
he told the kind little Brownies good-by and started back klip- 
perty-kip, klipperty-kip, klipperty-kip, to show his daddy and 
mother and sister and brother rabbits his nice new long ears. 

All the way home he could hear the things the birds were 
telling one another, what the bees were whispering to the flow- 
ers — what the breeze was singing to the earth, and he could 
even hear all the little voices in the woods that no one else can 
hear. 

Now you know why the rabbit has long ears ; because he can 
hear everything . 





II 


MR. AND MRS. OWL AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 


T took Cottontail an awfully long while to reach his 
family, and he was very glad and terribly tired when at 
last he hopped into his home and saw Daddy and 
Mother Rabbit and his brothers and sisters. They all 
began talking at once. 

“Where in the world have you been?” asked Daddy 
Rabbit. 

“Why are you so tired?” Mother Rabbit asked him. 
“Were you lost?” a little sister rabbit asked. 

“What on earth has happened to your ears? They 
are so long,” a little brother rabbit began. “Why, I 
have never seen such ears!” Then they all started hopping 


20 


MR. AND MRS. OWL 


21 


around him, and everybody looked at his new long ears. Cot- 
tontail was so proud of them that he put his ears straight up 
that each one might see how long they were. 

“I want some ears like yours,” cried a little sister rabbit. 
“They are beautiful. How can I get them?” 

“You can,” answered Cottontail. “Let us sit down and 
I *will tell you all about everything. To begin with, I ran to 
the End-of-the-earth, because at the End-of-the-earth the 
Wishing-Fairy lives.” 

“Who is she?” Mother Rabbit asked. 

“Well,” said Cottontail, “her name is ‘Stella,’ and she is 
called the Wishing-Fairy because she can make anybody’s wish 
come true if they go and see her and tell it to her. You always 
said I was curious, Mother, and I think you were right, be- 
cause I wished that I could hear everything, so I went and 
told her so and she made my ears long and now — what do you 
think? Now — I can hear everything!” 

“Is it hard to find the Wishing-Fairy?” they all asked at the 


same time. 


22 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


“Yes, it is,” Cottontail answered, “but if you want, I’ll go 
with you and show you where she is — I am tired now; but 
when I am rested I’ll take you there.” 

“Oh, yes, indeed, we do want to go ! We want to hear every- 
thing too.” They were so happy that all the rabbits began 
hopping around and kissing Cottontail, and patting his beauti- 
ful long ears and laughing. 

Cottontail told them about Stella, the Wishing-Fairy, her 
lily-house, the Brownies, the Gefc- 
little-pool and the Get-big-pool. 
He told them about everything. 
Then they all went fast asleep in the 
warm hole where they lived. 

A few days after that Cottontail took the whole family to 
the End-of-the-earth to see the Wishing-Fairy, and she gave 
all of them long ears. Then the rabbits began hopping klip- 
perty-kip, klipperty-kip, klipperty-kip home. 

On the way back Cottontail’s smallest sister began to cry, 
for she was very tired, so they all sat down to rest a bit and 
while they were resting they heard a funny noise up in the 
trees. 

They all looked up and listened — now they could hear every- 
thing. What do you think they saw? 

Way up in a tree there were two owls! They were looking 
down at the rabbits and whispering — and looking and whis- 
pering. 

The rabbits could even hear what they were whispering. 



MR. AND MRS. OWL 


23 

“Are those rabbits , do you think?” they heard Mrs. Owl 
ask Mr. Owl. 

“Whoever saw rabbits with ears as long as theirs?” — and 
Mr. Owl began laughing. 

“Well,” answered Mrs. Owl, “what are they? Shall we ask 
them?” 

“Come down here on the ground,” old Daddy Rabbit called 
to them. 

“Yes, come down,” cried all the other rabbits. 

Mr. and Mrs. Owl flew down very slowly, because they were 
a little afraid. 

“You need not be afraid of us,” said Cottontail; “we are 
only rabbits.” 

“Rabbits — with ears like yours!” Mr. Owl said, in a very 
astonished way. 

“Yes, rabbits,” answered Mother Rabbit. “Stella gave us 
these nice long ears. We think they are beautiful, and besides 
— now we can hear everything.” 

“Who is Stella?” Mr. and Mrs. Owl asked. 

So the rabbits told the owls about the Wishing-Fairy, and 
Mr. and Mrs. Owl were very interested. 

“Would you mind telling us where Stella lives?” begged 
Mrs. Owl, “because we have a wish too.” 

“All right,” said Cottontail. “All you have to do is to fly 
over there,” — and he pointed with one of his long ears — “and 
just keep on flying until you come to the End-of-the-earth 
— and — well, you will find her.” 


24 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

“Thank you so much,” said Mr. Owl very politely. 

“Yes, thanks lots ” Mrs. Owl said. “I think we had better 
start now,” and off they flew. 

They flew and they flew, and when they came to the End-of- 
the-earth it was night and so dark that they could not see a 



thing, so they both sat up in the branch of a tree and waited 
for morning. As soon as it began to be light they saw the bees 
and butterflies wake up, and they also saw the Brownies jump 
down from the Jack-in-the-pulpits where they had been sleep- 
ing. The bees seemed very busy. They were getting honey 
for Stella’s breakfast. 

One of the Brownies passed under the tree in which Mr. and 
Mrs. Owl were sitting. The Brownie was carrying a blue-bell 
flower in which there was a drop of water; that also was for 
Stella’s breakfast. All of a sudden the Brownie looked up 
and he saw the two owls. 

“Hello,” he called out, “what are you doing?” 


MR. AND MRS. OWL 


25 


“We came here to see Stella, the Wishing-Fairy,” answered 
Mr. Owl in a very sleepy voice, for he was tired. 
He and Mrs. Owl had been flying from so far 
away. 

“I suppose the rabbits must have told you 
about Stella,” said the Brownie. “There were 
a lot of rabbits here. All right, just wait awhile 
and I will tell her.” 

“Thank you very much,” said the 
owls. “Do you suppose it will be long 
before we can have a little talk with 
her?” 

“I’ll see,” answered the Brownie. 
“She is going to have her 
bath and her breakfast 
and then she will 
see you. While I am 
with her you both might 
come down and have a 



26 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


drink out of the Get-little-pool, so that you will be ready.” 

“Ready for what?” asked the owls. 

“Ready to see Stella,” answered the Brownie. 

“I don’t understand,” said Mrs. Owl. 

“Well, you will soon,” — the Brownie laughed — “Just have 
a little drink and then you will see what I mean.” 

By this time both Mr. and Mrs. Owl were very curious; 
so down they flew and began drinking out of the Get-little-pool. 

“I’ve had enough,” began Mrs. Owl, and she looked around 
to see Mr. Owl. “My Gracious! What has happened to 
you? Why, all of a sudden you are only about as big as one 
of my feathers, you — ” 

“Well, you needn’t talk like that,” answered Mr. Owl ; “you 
ought to see yourself! Ha-ha-ha!” and he was laughing so 
that he could not talk for a minute. “Why, you are about as 
big as my ear! Ha-ha!” 


“What has happened to us?” cried Mrs. Owl; but just then 
the Brownie ran up to them. 




MR. AND MRS. OWL 


27 

“Oh! Now you are quite ready,” he said. “Come with 
me, for Stella is waiting for you.” 

The owls were so surprised about everything that they did 
not quite know what was happening until they found them- 
selves one on each side of the Wishing-Fairy, and each whis- 
pering in her ear at the same time. The next thing they knew 
she was waving her wand around their heads and then they 
noticed that their eyes were growing bigger and bigger — be- 
cause, you see, their wish had been to be able to see better. 
They found themselves being led by the little old Brownies to 
another pool. (It was the Get-big-pool.) They had a drink 
out of that, and then the next thing they knew they were both 
sitting away up on a tree. 

“Well! Did you ever!” they both said at once. “Here we 
are again. Why, we are just as big as we ever were and our 
eyes are — like saucers, and there doesn’t seem to be anything 
we cannot see, no matter how far away it is! It is wonder- 
ful! Now I suppose we might as well fly home,” and off 
they started. 

They flew and flew and it began to grow dark. The moon 
and stars were shining and — what do you think? They found 
that even in the dark they could see everything! 

Now you know why the owls have such big eyes. 




Ill 


THE KANGAROO AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 




AVE you ever seen a kangaroo? 

Here is a picture of one. 

The Kangaroo can go very fast, 
for it has long hind legs and can 
jump awfully far. 

One day the Kangaroo, who had been hopping 
around for a long while, thought she would lie 
down and rest. She had left her baby kangaroo 
in her home, because whenever she 
< 9 took her baby with her she lost it and 
would have a dreadful time finding 
it. Baby kangaroos are always hopping around without re- 
membering that they must not go too far away from their 
mother or they will get lost. 


28 


THE KANGAROO AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 29 



The mother kangaroo went fast asleep. She slept a long 
time, and at last woke up, because she felt something tickling 
her ear. She jumped a little, and there, standing on her paw, 
was a tiny little man in brown with a funny cap on his head. 
In his hand he held a blade of grass and was laughing as he 
tickled the kangaroo’s ear with it. 

“Well,” said the Kangaroo, “who on earth are you ? I never 
saw a man as tiny as you are! You are not as big as my 
baby’s foot!! Who are you, anyhow?” 

Do you know who it was? No? 

Listen — the little man laughed a long time. “What makes 
you think I am a man? I’m not. I an>a Brownie and I live 
here with Stella.” 

“Who is Stella?” the Kangaroo asked. 

“Who is Stella !” said the Brownie. “Well, I am surprised. 
I thought every one knew about Stella! She is the Wishing- 
Fairy. I mean by that, that she makes wishes come true.” 

“Can she make any wish come true?” 

“Yes, indeed, she can,” answered the Brownie proudly. 

“Isn’t that wonderful,” said the Kangaroo. “Well, I must 
run home now and take care of my baby. I had to leave it 
home because I generally lose it when I take it with me. How 
I wish that I could always keep it with me!” 

“If you wish that,” said the Brownie, “why don’t 
you tell Stella? She will make it happen.” 


30 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

“Do you think she could?” 

“I’m sure she could. Come. Do you see that little pool of 
water over there?” — and the Brownie pointed with the blade 
of grass that he still held in his hand. 

“Yes,” nodded the Kangaroo, “what about it?” 

“That,” answered the Brownie, “is the Get-little-pool. You 
must drink out of that so as to become very small — ” 

“But I am big,” said the Kangaroo, “and I don’t want to 
be small.” 

“Oh! that’s all right,” explained the Brownie; “you have to 
be small enough to speak to Stella. You see, she is not quite 
as big as I am. As soon as you have talked with her I will 
show you the Get-big-pool, and after you drink from that 
you will again be just as big as you now are. Are you 
coming?” 

“Yes, indeed.” And the Kangaroo went over to the pool 
with the Brownie and took a swallow of the water in the Get- 
little-pool. Just then Stella came towards them. 

“I heard you two talking,” she began. “Did you want to see 
me?” 

“Well,” said the Kangaroo, “I was telling the Brownie that 
I wish I could keep my baby with me, and he said you could 
make my wish come true; but I don’t see how you can, because 
I can’t carry it in my arms as I need them to jump with, and 
my baby is not strong enough to hold on to the fur of my chest 
the way baby monkeys hang on to their mothers, and I can not 
carry it in my mouth, the way mother cats do, because my baby 


THE KANGAROO AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 31 


cried when I tried to do that. So I really do not see what you 
can do about it. Do you?” 

Stella was very quiet a minute. 

“Yes, I’ve thought of a way. You see people carry their 
babies in their arms or tie them on their backs. If your baby 
were put on your back, it would fall off when you jump; so I 
am going to give you a big warm pocket, and you can stick your 
baby in that, and it will be perfectly safe there.” 

With that she waved her wand three times over the Kan- 
garoo’s head, and, sure enough, when the Kangaroo looked 
down, there was a big warm fur pocket right over her stomach ! 

“Oh, that is a wonderful idea! Thank you ever so much,” 
said the Kangaroo. “Now, I’ll drink out of the Get-big-pool, 
for I can hardly wait to get home and try 
carrying my baby around in my new pocket. 
Good-by, and thank you again.” 

“Good-by,” answered Stella. 

“Good-by,” called out the little Brownie. 
“Aren’t you glad I tickled your ear and woke 
you up?” 

“Indeed, I am,” said the Kangaroo. “If 
you hadn’t, I should never have known about 
Stella, and I should never have had the lovely 
big pocket. Thanks 
very much, and 
.good-by.” 

Never had the 
kangaroo jumped as 



32 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


fast as she did that day, and in a very short time she was home 
again. She found her baby fast asleep. She didn’t care if 
she woke it or not, she was in such a hurry to put it in her 
pocket. It just fitted in, and the baby kangaroo liked it be- 
cause it was warm and comfortable, and the mother kangaroo 
liked it because she had her baby in a good safe place. 

So now the baby kangaroo can go everywhere with its 
mother, and it is never lost. 





IV 

THE ERMINE GOES TO SEE STELLA 


HERE is a little animal called the Ermine. In 
summer its fur is gray and brown, while in winter 
it becomes perfectly white. I wonder if you know 
why it changes colors in this queer way. The reason 
is that in summer when there are grasses and leaves 
and flowers it has colored fur, and in winter when 
there is snow on the ground it has white fur and 
looks just the same as the snow, so that in this way 
you can hardly see it when it is on the snow. Bigger 
animals and tremendous birds such as the chicken 
hawk cannot easily see it or catch and kill it. 

But the little Ermine didn’t know this. One day while it 
was running across the snow it saw Cottontail, the rabbit, who 
was sitting up very straight because he was frightened. Rab- 

33 




34 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


bits are frightened of the Ermine, because ermine can run 
even quicker than they can, and ermine eat rabbits. They 
leap much faster than a rabbit can jump, and then they 
pounce on the rabbit and their sharp little teeth fasten in the 
rabbit’s neck, and that is the end of the rabbit. 


When Cottontail saw the Ermine he crouched down, hoping 



he had not been seen; but the Ermine had already seen him, 
so Cottontail ran away off; but the Ermine hurried after 
him. 

“Stop, Cottontail,” he called. “I won’t hurt you.” 

But Cottontail hurried even faster. 

“Please, Cottontail, I promise I won’t hurt you. I only 
want to ask you a question.” 

But Cottontail by this time was going like the wind. 

“Please, Cottontail, I promise. No one can break a prom- 


THE ERMINE GOES TO SEE STELLA 


35 


ise — you know that. Please stop a minute. I won’t even 
come very near you if you will only stop so that I can talk to 
you.” 

Cottontail ran a little slower and looking out of the corner 
of his eye he saw that the Ermine had stopped altogether, so 
he stopped too. 

“What do you want?” he called back. 

“I only want to ask you where you got those long, beautiful 
ears,” the Ermine answered. 

“The Wishing-Fairy gave them to me.” 

“Who is that?” the Ermine asked. 

Cottontail, who was quite far away from the Ermine, told 
all about Stella and his wonderful visit to her at the End-of- 
the-earth. 

The Ermine was very interested, and he asked Cottontail 
if he would take him there, but Cottontail told him that 
nothing could make him go with him to the End-of-the-earth 
because he was scared of the Ermine and Stella lived very far 
away. 

“But you ask the owls to show you,” he said. “Perhaps 
they will because you can’t catch them; they can fly ahead 
of you.” 

“That is a good idea,” the Ermine answered. “I’ll do that 
to-night. It is very nice of you to tell me all this, Cottontail, 
and you see I kept my promise. I didn’t hurt you. No one 
can possibly break a promise.” 

“Yes, you kept your promise,” Cottontail answered, “but, 


36 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 



just the same, I wish you would turn around and go the other 
way. Go and see the owls now.” 

“Very well,” said the Ermine; “good-by. Thanks again,” 
and off he started for the old tree where the owls lived. 

When he reached the tree he knew it was a silly thing to do, 
for owls always sleep in the daytime and fly around at night. 
So he went away, and that evening just as the moon was show- 
ing over the hills he went back 
and waited under the owls’ tree. 

Presently he saw them come 
out of the big hole that was half 
way up the trunk of the tree. 

“Hello there, Mrs. Owl,” he 
called very softly. 

“Good evening, Mr. Ermine,” 
she said. 

“Mrs. Owl,” the Ermine be- 
gan, “I saw Cottontail this after- 
noon and he told me all about 
the Wishing-Fairy. I want to 
see her so I asked him if he 
would show me the way, but he 
said he wouldn’t and told me to 
ask you.” 

“Why do you want to see 
her?” Mrs. Owl asked. 

“Because in the winter when 


THE ERMINE GOES TO SEE STELLA 


37 

my fur becomes white, I’m so white that on the snow I can’t 
see myself.” 

“Well, I should think you would be very glad,” answered 
Mrs. Owl, “because the larger animals can’t see you either, 
and it is much safer for you.” 

“Just the same I should like to see Stella. Will you take 
me to her?” 

“Wait one moment,” Mrs. Owl said, and disappeared in the 
hole in the tree. In a minute she came out with Mr. Owl. 

“We are going back this evening,” said Mr. Owl, “to thank 
her for our wonderful eyes. She gave us these big eyes and 
we can see everything now. We can even see in the dark. If 
you want to, you may follow us. We are going now.” 

The Ermine had a hard time following them, because by 
this time it was very dark. Once he lost them, but after a 
few minutes the owls came back and found him and off they 
started again. 

After he had seen Stella he couldn’t at first see that he was 
at all changed and he was very disappointed. He sat down 
near the Get-big-pool and cried quietly. A Brownie came 
up to him. 

“What is the trouble?” the Brownie asked. 

“I’m so unhappy,” sobbed the Ermine. “I think Stella 
might have made my wish come true.” 

“What was your wish?” the Brownie asked. 

“I wished that she would do something for me so that I 
can see myself when I’m on the snow. I never know what 


38 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

is snow or what is me because we are both plain white. It is 
too bad,” and he began crying again. 

“Well, before you cry so much,” said the Brownie, “you had 
better look at yourself again.” 

The Ermine stopped crying. 

“What do you mean?” — and he jumped up very quickly. 

He looked first at his right paw and then at his left — then 
he turned his head around, and when he saw his tail he began 
laughing, because he was so happy. 

The tip of his tail was black! 

That is the reason of the black tip of the Ermine’s tail ; so 
that all he has to do is to turn around and when he sees the 
little spot of black on the snow he can find himself. The 


THE ERMINE GOES TO SEE STELLA 


39 


bigger animals can also, but it’s all right. They see the 
black spot on the snow and jump for it; but it’s at the end of 
the Ermine’s tail so they always miss him, for by the time they 
reach the black spot the Ermine has passed by. If the black 
tip were on his nose it would be very terrible, for then they 
would always catch him. 

You see there is always a reason for everything. 




THE ELEPHANT 


. HE Elephant had heard of the Wishing-Fairy. So 
he wanted to see her. He asked the Kangaroo to 
tell him how he could find the End-of-the-earth, 
and, as soon as he had been told, off he went. 

It did not take him very long to get there, because 
the Elephant is a big animal, and, when he wants to, 
he can run very fast. 

When he reached the 
place where Stella and 
the Brownies live, he 
looked around and the 
first thing he saw was the Get-little-pool. He was very thirsty 
from having run such a long way. So, what do you think he 
did? 




40 



THE ELEPHANT 


4i 

He began drinking and drinking and drinking, and all of 
a sudden he found he had drunk all the pool up. 

All the time he had been drinking out of the Get-little-pool 
he had been growing smaller and smaller, but he had not no- 
ticed it until all of a sudden he knew that he was only as big as a 
button, and he was awfully frightened. You can’t imagine 
how frightened he was, and he began crying and howling. 
He made such a noise crying and howling that Stella came 
out of her lily-house to see what was the trouble. All the 
Brownies ran up and Stella’s bees and her butterfly (the one 
she rides) hurried over too. 

The Brownies were very angry when they saw that the Ele- 
phant had drunk up all the water in the Get-little-pool, and 
they started to scold him terribly; but Stella made them stop, 
and she told them to bring some more water for the pool. 



42 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 



They went and got their little buckets, and down they went to 
the river for water, and in a few minutes the pool looked just as 
it had before the Elephant had begun 
drinking out of it. 

Do you know what the Brownies’ 
buckets are? No! Each Brownie has 
a sea-shell. Do you know where they 
get the sea-shells from? Well, I will 
tell you. 

Stella is the Wishing-Fairy at the 
End-of-the-earth. At the end of the sea 
there lives another beautiful fairy, and 
once she sent Stella a present. She sent 
Stella some lovely big sea-shells, and 




THE ELEPHANT 


43 

Stella told the Brownies to use them as buckets. They can 
fill the shells full of water and carry them anywhere. 

The Elephant, who was still thirsty, tried to drink the water 
that the Brownies had put into the pool; but Stella told him 
to wait, because in a few minutes she would want him to 
drink out of the Get-big-pool. 

The Elephant stopped crying a moment and looked at Stella. 

“If I drank out of the Get-little-pool and all of a sudden 
became little, will I all of a sudden become big after I shall 
have drunk out of the Get-big-pool?” 

“Of course,” answered Stella, “that is why you have to do it 
— so as to be as big as you were before you saw me, to be big 
enough to go back to your world again. Of course, you are 
quite right.” 

As soon as Stella said this, the Elephant stopped crying, 
began to wipe his eyes and was happy again. 

“I like this place,” he said to Stella, as he looked all around 
him, “it is very interesting. You never know what is going 
to happen next. I think it is a lovely place.” 

“I am glad you like it,” said Stella, smiling. “I do too. 
It is my home, and I love it very much, but . . . every one 



44 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


loves one’s home. You haven’t told me yet, Mr. Elephant, 
why you came to see me. What can I do for you? Have 
you a wish?” 

“Yes, indeed, I have,” answered the Ele- 
phant. “I have a wish that I wish very 
much. May I tell it to you?” 

“That is just what I want you to do,” 
and Stella smiled so that he would not be 
afraid to tell her what his wish was. So, 
the Elephant stumbled over to her and 
whispered in her ear that he had always 
had a very hard time in making his mouth 
reach the ground, where he tried to find 
things to eat, because his tusks stuck out so 
far that they hit the ground first and kept 
his mouth away from it. 

“Well,” said Stella, “I can fix that very 
easily; just wait until I get my wand,” and 
she called to one of her Brownies to bring 
her wand. As soon as she had it, she told 
the Elephant to kneel down, which he 
found awfully hard to do. 

She waved her wand around his head 
once — twice — three times, and suddenly 
the Elephant felt his nose begin 
to grow and grow. 

He was so surprised as he 



THE ELEPHANT 


45 


watched it grow larger and larger that he could not speak. 

“What is the matter with my nose?” he asked as soon as he 
could talk. “I don’t think I like it. What has happened 
to it?” 

“I think that you will like it very much,” said Stella, “when 
I tell you what you are to do with it. I made your nose grow 
long so that when you see anything on the ground you want 
to eat you can pick it up with your nose, because now it is 
much longer than your tusks, and they will not be in the way; 
then you bend your nose back and put your food in your mouth. 
You will find it will work easily.” 

And it did. 

All the way home the Elephant kept picking up things 
from the ground with his nose. He would carry the things 
up to his mouth, and he was so happy because it worked very 
nicely. 

So now, you know why the Elephant has such a long nose. 

But you must also know that the Elephant’s nose is called 
his trunk. 

Isn’t that a funny thing to call it? 




VI 


THE GIRAFFE 



HE Elephant had told the Giraffe about Stella be- 
cause he was so happy that Stella had given him his 
long nose. 

The Giraffe was awfully excited. 

He said he wanted to go and see Stella, because he 
also had a wish to tell her. 

“Well, that isn’t very surprising,” answered the 
Elephant, as he swung his long nose around and 
around from side to side, “because you see, every one 
in the world has a wish of some kind. What is your 
wish? I should love to know what it is.” 
don’t want to tell it to any one, not even to you, Elephant, 
I would rather wait and tell it to the Wishing-Fairy 

46 


THE GIRAFFE 


47 


and see what happens. You really don’t mind, do you?” 

“Of course, I don’t mind. I understand perfectly . I hap- 
pen to know that the thing one wishes for most, always seems 
to be the thing that one doesn’t like to talk to everybody about. 
One likes to keep it a secret — all to oneself.” 

“That is true,” answered the Giraffe, as he scratched his 
side with one of his hind feet, “that is true, but how in the 
world did you know it?” 

“Well,” began the Elephant, and he smiled and thought a 
while, “you see, I am very old, and the older one grows the 
more one learns. I guess that is how I know. When you are 
older you will find that I am right.” 

“Will you tell me how to find Stella?” asked the Giraffe. 

“Of course, I will,” the Elephant said. “It won’t be hard 
for you. It wasn’t hard for me either, because you and I 
can run so fast. It is very easy. You just look in the right 
direction and then you keep running over there,” and the 
Elephant pointed with his nose, “over there where the earth 
and the sky touch one another.” 



48 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


“Well, that seems easy enough,” said the Gi- 
raffe. “I think I will start now ” 

“That is right,” the Elephant said. “There 
never is any use waiting to do a thing that we are 
going to do, if we can do it now. Good-by, and 
give my love to Stella and be sure that you do not 
lose your way.” 

“Good-by,” the Giraffe called back, for by this 
time he had started and was already quite far 

away. 

He was very glad when he found the End-of-the-earth, and 
he was also quite tired, so he stopped to lie down in the soft 
grass to rest his legs and while he was resting, what do you 
think he saw? 



He saw all the Brownies playing hide-and-go-seek, and he 
also saw Stella who was riding around on her butterfly. They 
were all having a lovely time, and he lay very quietly for a 
long while and watched them. 






m 
a if 
m mi 

mtim 




I have a wish. Please give me a very long neck" 
















































































• - 


















, » 


X 


'i- 

t 




























. 

- 









THE GIRAFFE 


49 


The Brownies were hiding here and there under mushrooms 
and in Jack-in-the-pulpits and behind trees. Suddenly, one 
of the Brownies, who was looking for another one who was 
behind a big tree, saw the Giraffe. 

“Hello,” he called out, “what do you want?” 

“Hello,” answered the Giraffe, getting up on his feet, “I 
want to see Stella, but I thought I would wait 
until she stopped riding her butterfly, for she 
seems to be having such a good time.” But 
Stella had heard him. Her butterfly flew over 
to where the Giraffe and the Brownie were talk- 
ing, and Stella called to him. 

“Did I hear you say that you wanted to see me?” 

“Yes, indeed, I should like to have a little talk with you — 
if you are sure that you are tired of riding your butterfly.” 

“Oh! yes,” answered Stella, “I have been riding a long 
while, and I was going to stop anyhow.” 

The butterfly had flown down to the ground and had spread 
out his wings, and Stella hopped off. 

“Have you a wish?” she asked the Giraffe. 

“Yes, indeed, I have, — and it is a big one. I wonder if you 
will make it come true.” As the Giraffe said this, he ran over 
to where Stella was standing. 

“Oh!” she cried, as she jumped out of his way. “You are 
much too big to come near me. Before you come any closer 




50 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


you must go and drink out of the Get-little-pool. After you 
have done that, you will find that you are as small as I am. 
Then, after we have talked together, there is a Get-big-pool 
for you to drink from and you will become big again — big 
enough to run through the woods and fields and rivers back 
to your home.” 

One of the Brownies said to Stella. 




THE GIRAFFE 


51 


“Shall I take the Giraffe to the Get-little-pool ?” 

“Yes, I wish you would, and I should also like you to get 
me my wand. I left it in the lily-house.” 

“I will be back before you can 
count one — two — three,” said the 
Brownie. “Come with me,” he 
called to the Giraffe, “I will take 
you to the Get-little pool.” 

After the Giraffe had drunk out /I f 
of the Get-little-pool he became v 
quite small; small enough for him 
to ask the Brownie to hop on his 
back and ride over to where Stella was waiting 
for them. 

The Brownie had a nice ride on the Giraffe. 

He had Stella’s wand in one hand and was wav- 
ing it around and around as he rode up to where 
Stella was sitting on a blade of grass. She was 
laughing as she watched him coming, because 
the Brownie looked very funny up on the Gi- 
raffe’s back. He kept slipping and sliding, and 
once he almost fell off; but he reached Stella 
safely and handed her the wand. 

Stella patted the Giraffe’s head. 

“What is your wish?” she asked. “Come and 
whisper it in my ear. You see now you are al- 
most as small as I am.” 



52 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

“I wish something very much,” the Giraffe said. 

“I know,” laughed Stella, “and I will make it come true 
for you. Come and tell me all about it.” 

So the Giraffe told her how he always seemed to be hungry 
and that the leaves that grow away up on the tops of the trees 
were the ones that he wanted most to eat, but they were too 
high for him to reach. 

“That is always the way,” and Stella smiled. “Every one 
wants the things that are too far away — the things they cannot 
reach. Why do you want the leaves on the tops of the trees?” 

You see Giraffes eat leaves. Did you know that? 

“I like them,” answered the Giraffe, “because they are 
younger and more tender than the ones lower down. It would 
be all right, I think, if you would give me a very long neck.” 

Stella waved her wand three times around his head. The 
Giraffe’s neck began to grow! 

Oh! how it grew! 

So now you know why the Giraffe has such a long neck, so 
that he can pick off the leaves from the tops of the trees. 




VII 


MR. AND MRS. PELICAN 


AVE you ever seen a Pelican? 

The Pelican is a bird that lives near the water. 
She eats fish. That is the reason she likes to be 
near the water — so that she can always be near the 
fish. 

All day long she stands in the water and watches 
for little fish to swim by. She stands very quietly, 
so that the fish do not notice her ; then, as they swim 
past her, she sticks her long beak quickly in the 
water and catches the fish. 

The Pelican had heard of the fairy at the End- 
of-the-earth, and she had once before been to see Stella. She 
had told Stella that when she stood in the water her stomach 



53 


54 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S animal friends 


would become wet and cold, 
and, of course, she did not like 
it. So Stella had made her two 
legs — a little longer, and after 
that she could stand all she 
wanted to in the water and her 
body would always be nice and 
dry, because her legs were then 
long enough to raise her body 
above the water. 

She used to stand for hours, 
and after catching a fish she 
would hurry to her babies and give them the fish to eat. Mrs. 
Pelican always found her babies hungry and crying for food. 
They kept her busy fishing all day long, and she thought she 
had never seen such a lot of hungry babies. 

It was not easy for her to carry the fish home, because 
fish, as you know, are very slippery and hard to hold, and 
just as Mrs. Pelican would think that she had a fish in her 
beak so that it could not get away, it would wriggle and 
wriggle and wriggle and flop — it would fall back in the 
water. 

Mrs. Pelican always became very angry when that hap- 
pened. She would try to catch it again ; but by that time the 
fish was far away. As soon as the fish fell in the water, it swam 
just as fast as it could, so as to get away from Mrs. Pelican. 
It did not want to be caught and eaten by a lot of hungry baby 
Pelicans— Oh, no! 




MR. AND MRS. PELICAN 


55 


One day Mrs. Pelican had lost five or six fish, and she was 
awfully angry and sad. She was standing with her feathers 
all bunched out, and her head hunched in. She was thinking 
about what had happened. She was also telling Mr. Pelican 
all her troubles. Mr. Pelican was standing with his feathers 
all bunched out and his head hunched in. He was thinking too. 
All of a sudden he cried out, “I know ” 

“What,” asked Mrs. Pelican, “you know what? Good- 
ness, you frightened me calling out that way,” and poor Mrs. 
Pelican, who had been standing on one leg with the other one 
tucked up under her feathers, almost fell down. 

“I’m sorry I frightened you, my dear,” said Mr. Pelican, 
“but I have thought of what to do. We will fly to the End-of- 
the-earth again and tell our troubles to Stella; she will help 


“That’s a wonderful idea,” said Mrs. Pelican, “but the only 
trouble is, we cannot both go at the same time.” 

“Why?” Mr. Pelican asked her. 

“You seem to have for- 
gotten that we have a lot of 
hungry babies to feed, and 
one of us has to stay so as to 
look after them. I’ll tell 
you what we can do. You 
go first and I will stay with 
our babies, then, when you 




56 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 



come back, I will go, and while I am away you can take care of 
them and catch fish for them, and keep them from being hun- 
gry,” she said. 

“That is just what we will do,” Mr. Pelican answered. 
“Well, shall I go first?” 

“Yes,” Mrs. Pelican said, “and when you come home I will 
start for the End-of-the-earth.” 

“Very well,” said Mr. Pelican, and off he started. 

He flew as fast as he could because he knew that Mrs. 
Pelican was waiting for him at home. 

Mrs. Pelican was so curious to know what Stella would do 
for him that she could hardly wait for him to be back. 

When he did come home again he had underneath his long 
beak a big pocket. 

“My dear,” he said when he showed it to her, “this pocket 
is the most wonderful thing. When I catch a fish it can't 
wriggle out of my beak and fall flop in the water, because I 



MR. AND MRS. PELICAN 


57 


carry it in my beak-pocket. This way I can bring all the 
fish I catch safely to our babies. Let us go and try it.” And 
off they started to a place where the water was full of little 
fishes. 

The first fish he caught had to stay in his beak- 
pocket. It couldn’t wriggle away. 

Mr. and Mrs. Pelican were so happy about it 
that Mrs. Pelican started then and there for the 
End-of-the-earth. 

When she saw Stella she told her how glad 
Mr. Pelican was about his beak-pocket, and that 
she would like one too. 

“Because,” she said, “this way we can take 
much better care of our babies and bring them 
more fish to eat. I always lost so many fishes 
when they would wriggle out of my beak. I 
hope, Stella,” she went on, “that you don’t mind 
my coming back to you. This is the second time 
I have been to see you. The first time you made 
my legs a little longer. I hope you do not think that I am 
always wanting things.” 

“Indeed,” answered Stella, “I am glad to give you a beak- 
pocket. If you were asking for things for yourself it would 
be different; but what you want is something that is going to 
help your babies. You will be able to give them more fish, 
and I want to see them have lots to eat and grow strong and 
fat.” 



58 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


“Thank you so much, you dear Stella, I love you very 
much.” 

“I love you too,” Stella said. “I love you because you are 
so good to your babies. Now, go home, and I am sure you 
will like your beak-pocket. Good-by, Mrs. Pelican, good-by, 
and give my love to your family. If there is anything else 
you need, be sure to come back and ask me for it, — anything 
you wish for I will give you.” 

After Mrs. Pelican had drunk out of the Get-big-pool, she 
hurried home again. She could hardly wait to see how well 
she would be able to carry fish in her nice new beak-pocket. 

A long time after this, when all the baby-pelicans had 
grown up and could take care of themselves, Mrs. Pelican 
told Mr. Pelican one day she was going back to the End-of- 
the-earth again to see Stella. 

“What do you want to ask her for this time?” Mr. Pelican 
asked. 

“I don’t want to ask her for anything. She was very good 
to me, and I want to give her a present.” 

“I think that would be a lovely thing to do,” said Mr. 
Pelican, “but what can we give her?” 

“Do you remember the two little pools of water near Stella’s 
lily-house?” Mrs. Pelican asked. 

“Yes,” answered Mr. Pelican, “one is the Get-little-pool. 
I drank out of that so as to become small enough to see Stella, 
and the other is the Get-big-pool, — I drank out of that when 
I wanted to be big again — big enough to get home. Yes, of 
course I remember them; but what about them?” 


MR. AND MRS. PELICAN 


59 


“I was thinking that it would be nice to bring her some 
pretty little gold fish to keep in her pools. She might like to 
have them. What do you think about it?” 

U I am sure she would like that. How sweet of you to have 



thought of it! Come, let us catch them.” And off they 
flew to the water where they caught some pretty little gold 
fish and also two little silver fish! 

They carried them in their beak-pockets safely to Stella’s 
lily-house. There they pulled the tiny golden bell. The 
lily-house began to open, and Stella stepped out. She was 
delighted with Mr. and Mrs. Pelican’s present, and together 
they went to the Get-little-pool. They put the two silver fish 
in that one. The little silver fish started swimming around 
and around, because they were glad to be back in water again. 
Then Stella and the Pelicans went to the Get-big-pool, and 


60 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

in that they put the gold fish. There were five gold fish. 
They made the whole pool look more beautiful, and Stella 
was very happy to have them. She kissed Mr. and Mrs. 
Pelican on their heads before they left her, and thanked 
them for having remembered her and for having brought her 
the lovely fish. 

Now, you know why Pelicans have beak-pockets. To carry 
fish in. 




VIII 


THE SQUIRREL AND THE WISHING- FAIRY 


^HE Squirrel is a busy little fellow. He is very careful 
too. Do you know how he is careful and busy? 

All through the summer he hunts around and 
finds all the nuts that he can. Each time he finds one 
he scurries off to his home and puts it there. He 
also hides nuts in holes far from his home, but some- 
how he can always remember where they are. He 
does this because he knows that when the winter 
comes and snow covers the ground he wouldn’t be 
•able to find any nuts, and nuts are what squirrels like 
to eat — so by hiding them away in his home and 
other holes he can dig down under the snow and have a good 
dinner whenever he is hungry later on. 

61 



62 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


Part of the winter he plays around in the snow and part 
of the time he curls up in his snug little home, which is a 
deep comfortable hole in a tree, and he has a long, long 
sleep. When he wakes up the sun is shining, and it is nice 
and warm and he is always very hungry. Then he is glad 
that he was so careful and hid the nuts away; for there they 
are and he has all he wants to eat. 

The Squirrel looks very much like his cousin the Rat; but 
his fur is a prettier color. The fur on his stomach is white; 
and the Rat’s is not. The fur on the Rat’s 
stomach is the same color as the fur on his back. 

It was a very cold day, and the squirrel was 
hiding in a tree behind a big branch. He was 
shivering and trying to get out of the wind. 

He had heard the other animals talking about 
the Wishing-Fairy, and he thought he would like to go to her 
and ask her if she could do anything to keep his back warm. 
The only trouble was that he did not know where she lived. 

All of a sudden Cottontail dashed past the tree. 

“Hey, Cottontail!” he called. “Don’t be in such a hurry!” 

Cottontail came to a quick stop; he and the Squirrel were 
great friends. 

“Hello, Nibbles!” said Cottontail. “I didn’t see you. 
From whom are you hiding behind that branch?” 

“I’m not hiding from any one. I am trying to keep out of 
the wind because my back is cold. I want to ask you where I 
can find the Wishing-Fairy.” 



THE SQUIRREL AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 63 

Cottontail scratched his head with his hind paw. 

“I cannot tell you exactly ” he answered. “All I can say 
is to go to the End-of-the-earth. She 
lives there. You ought not to have any 
trouble because you can hop so fast — 
almost as fast as I can.” 

“Not at all,” said the Squirrel. “I 
can go much faster — why I could beat 
you any time.” 

“You could not,” laughed Cottontail. 

“You only think you can.” 

“Very well,” the Squirrel said. “I’ll 
show you. We will have a race.” 

“That would be fine,” answered Cot- 
tontail. “Where shall we race to? I’ll race you anywhere 
you say.” 

The Squirrel thought a moment. He thought it would be 
a good idea to get Cottontail to show him where the Wishing- 
Fairy lived, so he said: “Very well. I’ll race you to the 
End-of-the-earth.” 

“When shall we start, Nibbles?” asked Cottontail. 

“Now,” answered the Squirrel, hurrying down from the 
branch. “Now, let us stand in a straight line with our right 
front paw on that long twig lying over there on the grass, and 
when I count three we will be off.” 

They stood near one another, and each put his paw on the 
twig. 



64 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

“One — two — three ” the Squirrel 
counted and off they started. 



They raced and raced. Sometimes 
the Squirrel was ahead and sometimes 
Cottontail. They raced all that day 
and all through the night, and they 
were very tired. 


Suddenly Cottontail called out to the Squirrel. 

“Nibbles!” 

“Yes?” answered the Squirrel. He was behind Cottontail 
and he was all out of breath. He could hardly answer. 

“Here we are. This is the End-of-the-earth, and it’s the 
end of our race too.” 

“I’m glad it is,” said the Squirrel. “You know you won.” 





“Well, I am bigger than you are. You can’t help that; 
but you ran beautifully . I did not know you could go so 
fast.” Cottontail said this because he didn’t want the Squirrel 
to feel unhappy that he had lost the race. “I will wait for 
you while you see the Fairy.” 

“All right,” answered the Squirrel. “But please tell me 
her name?” 


THE SQUIRREL AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 65 
“Stella.” 

“Thanks,” said the Squirrel, and he started towards her 
lily-house. 

“Oh, Nibbles!” called Cottontail. 

“Yes; what is it?” 

“You must drink out of that pool first,” and he pointed with 
one of his long ears. 

“But I don’t want to,” said the Squirrel. “I am not thirsty 
and I hate water.” 

“But, Nibbles, you have to. It is the Get-little-pool,” ex- 
plained Cottontail, “and it makes you small enough to talk to 
Stella.” 

“Very well then,” — and the Squirrel stooped down and took 
a little sip of the water. All of a sudden he became smaller 
than one of the nuts that he had hidden in his home. 

He was a bit frightened at first, but just then a Brownie 
came up to him and the Brownie told him not to worry, and 
that he would take him to Stella now. 

When he saw Stella he told her how cold his back always 
was, and asked her to do something to make him warmer. 

Stella waved her little wand with the tiny star on the end 
of it three times above the Squirrel’s head. Suddenly he had 
a curious feeling, and he turned around to see what was hap- 
pening, and he was too astonished! What do you suppose 
Stella had done? 

She had changed his long, straight, ugly tail, that had 
looked like his rat cousin’s, into a lovely bushy one! 


66 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


“It’s very beautiful,” said the Squirrel, “but what is it 


for?” 


“Well, I will tell you,” Stella answered, and she was smiling. 
“When you are running your tail will naturally hang straight 
out behind; but when you wish to sit up you must keep your 
tail close up to your body between the wind and your back 
and in this way your back will never be cold again.” 

“That is perfectly wonderful, Stella,” said the Squirrel. 
“I can’t tell you how happy I am and I can’t thank you enough. 
Would you like me to bring you some nuts? I’ll go back to 
my home and get them and I can be here day after to-morrow. 
I should love to give you some nuts, for you have been very 
good to me.” 

“No, thank you, Squirrel dear,” Stella said. “It is nice 
of you to want to get me some nuts, but I never eat them. The 
only thing I eat is honey. My two bees bring me that every 
morning, and then I also like to drink water out of my blue- 
bell flower; but thank you just the same. Now go and drink 
out of the Get-big-pool and trot along home. I’m glad you 
like your bushy tail. Good-by.” 



“Good-by, 
Stella,” and the 
Squirrel was so 
happy that he 
kissed her hand. 
“Good-by.” 


When Cotton- 
tail saw the Squir- 


THE SQUIRREL AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 67 


rd’s beautiful bushy tail he walked around him several times 
to look at it. “It’s wonderful,” he said admiringly, “perfectly 
wonderful.” 

“It is indeed,” answered the Squirrel, “and, what’s more, my 
back is warm, so that I am very happy. I am glad, very glad, 
I came to see Stella. Well, let’s go home now.” 

Going home, Cottontail and the Squirrel did not race as 
they had done when on their way to the End-of-the-earth. 

Instead of racing, they ran slowly along side by side and 
talked the whole way home about all the strange things that 
had happened to them. 




THE PEACOCK WHO WANTED TOO MUCH 

NCE upon a time, very long ago, the Peacock was 
walking around in the grass looking for something 
to eat, when suddenly he saw the Squirrel. 

The Peacock and the Squirrel were great friends, so 
he walked over to the Squirrel, and the first thing he 
said was: 

“Won’t you please tell me how you happen to have 
that beautiful bushy tail? You used to have a tail like 
your cousin the Rat’s.” 

“Of course I’ll tell you,” answer the Squirrel. “It 
happened this way. I had heard from Cottontail, and 
from several other friends of mine, that far off at the End-of- 
the-earth there lives a Wishing-Fairy whose name is Stella, 
68 



THE PEACOCK WHO WANTED TOO MUCH 69 


and that if any one goes to her and tells her what he wants, she 
makes his wish come true. You know how often I had been 
unhappy because my back was always cold. So I went to see 
Stella and told her that I wished there was some way to keep 
my back nice and warm, and she gave me this bushy tail, so 
that now I am very comfortable.” 

“What is Stella like?” asked the Peacock. 

“She is perfectly beautiful,” the Squirrel answered. “She 
is the prettiest thing I have 
ever seen.” 

“It must be wonderful to 
be so lovely,” the Peacock 
said; “I wish I were.” 

“Well,” laughed the 
Squirrel, “that is easy; all 
you have to do is to go to her 
and tell her that you wish 



it, and she will make you 


beautiful.” 

“Do you really think she will?” asked the Peacock. 

“I know she will,” answered the Squirrel. “Why don’t 
you start now? You go over that way” (and the Squirrel 
pointed with one of his paws) “and don’t stop until you come 
to the End-of-the-earth. It is a long way and you are very 
lazy; but you will find her if you keep straight on and don’t 
stop or turn back.” 

The Peacock thought a minute. “Yes, I’ll go. I’ll start 
now.” And he did. 


70 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


It took him a long while to reach Stella and her lovely 
lily-house, and he was very tired and thirsty; so that he was 
glad to drink out of the Get-little-pool, when one of the 
Brownies asked him to do so. He told Stella that he wanted 
to be beautiful. So Stella waved her wand with the tiny star 
on it around him, and suddenly he found that he had the most 
wonderful tail of eighteen long feathers, that trailed on the 
ground when he wanted it to, and that he could spread it out 
like a big fan back of him, when he wished to show it to any 
one. The Peacock was delighted, and he thanked Stella and 
went home. 



All his friends thought that the Peacock’s long feathers were 
lovely, and he was very proud and happy. He spent all his 
time spreading the feathers, so that he could show them to 
everybody. 


THE PEACOCK WHO WANTED TOO MUCH 71 


After he had been home a little while, he thought he would 
go back to see Stella again. 

Stella was very surprised to see him, and she was even more 
surprised when he whispered in her ear that he had come back 
to her with the wish to be still more beautiful. 

“Very well,” said Stella, “I will put all kinds of wonderful 
colors on your feathers.” 

So she waved her wand three times around the Peacock, 
and all of a sudden his feathers became the most beautiful he 
had ever seen, and he was so happy and excited that he forgot 
to drink out of the Get-big-pool after he had thanked Stella 
and told her good-by. 

When he had gone and was already quite a ways home, he 
suddenly remembered the Get-big-pool, and he went all the 
way back to it to drink out of it, so as to become as large as he 
had been before he had drunk out of the Get-little-pool. 

The Peacock was very happy for some time, because every 
one would tell him how lovely he was; but after a while 
back he went again to see Stella. Again he begged her to 
make him even more beautiful. 

Stella thought a minute, then she called the Brownies and 
asked them what they thought she could do for the Pea- 
cock. 

They all sat around and thought and thought for several 
minutes, but they could not think how the Peacock could 
possibly be prettier. At last, one of them said to Stella: 

“I have an idea. You have already put all the loveliest 


72 


THE WISHIN G-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 



colors in his feathers. I don’t see that there is anything more 
you can do but give him a little crown.” 

“That is a splendid idea,” said Stella, smiling. “I shall do 
it.” So she waved her wand three times around the Peacock’s 
head. He had a very queer feeling in his head. 

“What is on my head?” asked the Peacock. “I cannot see 
it! Oh! I wish I could see it! Have I a crown?” 

“Yes,” answered Stella, “and it is a lovely crown. I will 
tell you how you can see it. When you drink out of the Get- 
big-pool, bend as far as you can over it and look down. 
In the water you will be able to see the crown that I have 
given you. I hope that you will like it. Good-by.” 


THE PEACOCK WHO WANTED TOO MUCH 


73 


“Good-by, Stella; you have been very good to me. I thank 
you ever so much. I am very happy now.” And the Peacock 
hurried away to the Get-big-pool. He leaned away over the 
water, just as Stella had told him to, and he found that he 
could see himself just as well as you can see yourself in a 
mirror. He stayed there a long time looking at his crown and 
admiring himself. 



He was very, very happy. At last he started home; but he 
did not stay there long, he went back AGAIN to see Stella. 

She was very astonished to see him, because he had already 
come three times to the End-of-the-earth. 

“What DO you want now?” Stella asked him. 

The Peacock seemed a bit ashamed to answer, but at last he 
whispered, “I wish to be made still more beautiful.” 

“What!” cried Stella, “do you mean to tell me that you are 
not yet satisfied? You have had three wishes — each time you 


74 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

asked the same thing — to be made more beautiful. No won- 
der you are hanging your head. You ought to be ashamed of 
yourself. I am very angry, and what is more, I am going to 
punish you.” And she called all her Brownies to come 
quickly to her. 

By this time the Peacock was very frightened. He begged 
Stella to forgive him, but she was awfully angry. The Pea- 
cock tried to run away, but Stella made the Brownies hold 
him, and then she told one of them to get her the “punishment 
powder.” 

The Peacock was crying and crying and trying as hard as 
he could to get away from the Brownies who were holding 
him. He could not move. 

“Please forgive me, Stella,” he cried; “please, please, 
please.” 

“No,” she answered, “I am going to punish you for never 
being satisfied and for always asking for more.” 

“What are you going to do to me?” sobbed the Peacock, as 
a Brownie handed Stella a nasty, old, brown toad-stool which 
was full of a dark powder that smelled awfully. “Oh! what 
are you going to do?” 

“I am going to make you have such a hard loud voice that 
whenever you call or scream every one will want you to be 
quiet; and they will see that even though you are the most 
beautiful bird in the world, you have the ugliest voice. They 
will then know that no one can possibly have everything ” 



“I am going to punish you for never being satisfied ; 
for always asking for more” 





THE PEACOCK WHO WANTED TOO MUCH 75 

The Peacock was crying and crying while Stella threw the 
nasty punishment powder three times in his face. 

“One,” she said and threw a little of the powder. 

“Two,” she said and threw the powder the second time. 
The Peacock’s voice became so loud that all the Brownies 
jumped. 

" Three cried Stella, as she threw the rest of the powder 
in the Peacock’s face. 

When she did this, his voice suddenly became so awful that 
the Brownies ran away as fast as they could go, because they 
did not want to hear the Peacock. His voice was simply 
terrible. 

“Now,” said Stella in a very angry tone, “go drink out of the 
Get-big-pool and go home and don’t ever let me see you 
again.” 

So now you know why the beautiful Peacock has such an 
ugly voice. It is because he was never satisfied. He wanted 
too much, so Stella punished him. And now he knows that 
no one can have everything he wants. 




X 


THE TURTLE’S WISH 


SUPPOSE you think that the Turtle is very ugly and 
stupid. 

Some are not as pretty as others. Some have very 
beautiful colors on their shells. Neither are they 
stupid, because they are very patient, and any one who 
is patient is never stupid. 

They are patient in this way: 

A turtle will stay perfectly quiet for long hours try- 
ing to cath flies and insects in his mouth; they are what 
turtles like to eat. The insects, of course, are careful 
not to come too near him, so that sometimes it is quite 
hard for Mr. Turtle to find enough for his dinner, and he is 
often hungry. He is also patient when he travels, for try as 
76 



THE TURTLE’S WISH 


77 


hard as he will, he just cannot go fast —so he has to be patient. 

The Turtle was sitting in the sun one day on a big stone 
near the water. He was nice and warm and also half asleep, 
when suddenly he heard Mr. Peacock and Mrs. Pelican talk- 
ing together. 

At first he thought he was dreaming; but he was so sur- 
prised at what they were saying that suddenly he found that 
he was quite wide awake, so he turned his head way around, 
and sure enough there they were behind a bush near the water 
and near enough for him to hear everything they were talking 
about. So he listened. The Peacock was telling about how 
he had gone three times to see Stella, the Wishing Fairy, to be 
made always more beautiful, and how he had then gone to her 
a fourth time and that this time Stella had punished him with 
the punishment powder and how terrible it had been. 

“Well,” said Mrs. Pelican, “Stella was lovely to me. Mr. 
Pelican and I were given longer legs by her and then when 
we went again she gave us our beak-pockets, so that we can 
carry all the fish we catch in it, home to our babies. She was 
very nice to us ” 

The Peacock thought a moment. 

“She told me why she punished me,” he said. “It was be- 
cause I was selfish. I suppose I was. I’m sorry now. With 
you it was different. You were asking for something that 
would help you feed your family.” 

“Did it take you long to reach the End-of-the-earth?” asked 
Mrs. Pelican, to change the subject. 


78 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

“Not very/’ answered Mr. Peacock. “How long did it take 
you?” 

“Well, I fly very fast. I didn’t mind the traveling at all. 
I don’t know exactly how long I was gone.” 

“Which way did you go?” asked Mr. Peacock. 

“That way,” Mrs. Pelican answered, and pointed with her 
beak. “Straight that way. I never turned to either side. 

Stella is a wonderful 
fairy. Think of it: 
she can make any 
wish come true.” 

Just then the Tur- 
tle heard a little 
splash in the water 
near the stone on 
which he was sitting, and Mr. Frog swam up to him. His 
eyes were wide open and he was very excited. 

“Did you hear that too?” asked the Turtle. 

“I should think I did,” Mr. Frog answered, “and I never 
was so glad to hear anything in my life. I am going home to 
Mrs. Frog, and I shall tell her all about what Mr. Peacock 
and Mrs. Pelican said, and it will not be very long before 
Mrs. Frog and I will start for the End-of-the-earth. Don’t 
you want to go with us?” 

“Yes,” the Turtle said, “but it takes me such a long while to 
get anywhere. I am so slow.” 

“Oh! that’s nothing,” Mr. Frog said. “If we three go to- 



THE TURTLE’S WISH 


79 

gether we won’t mind how much time we will have to travel. 
We can also have lots of fun on the way together.” 

“Very well, then,” said the Turtle. “I should love to. 
It’s very nice of you to want me to go with you.” 

“That’s splendid,” 

Mr. Frog said. 

“You start on ahead 
because you are slow, 
and I’ll go home now 
and get my wife, and we will soon be with you ; because we can 
hop very quickly. Good-by! We will see you shortly.” 
And away he hopped. 

The Turtle was going along slowly, but he never stopped or 
turned his head to right or left. He just — kept — straight — 
on — and on — and on . After awhile, Mr. and Mrs. Frog, who 
had caught up with him, were hopping along, one on each side. 

Presently, Mrs. Frog said she was tired, and what do you 
suppose the Turtle said to her? He told her to get on his 
back and rest, because he was sure he was strong enough to 
carry her. 

So up she jumped, and for a long time that is how they 
traveled, Mr. Frog hopping on ahead and stopping and wait- 
ing for the Turtle who was slow, and the Turtle going pa- 
tiently along with Mrs. Frog riding on his back! 

That must have looked funny! 

Don’t you think so? 

Every now and then they would stop and rest in the sun. 




8o THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 



They were all very thirsty when at last they reached the 
End-of-the-earth. Oh! how glad they were to see the Get- 
little-pool! They drank and they drank and they drank. 
When they had had enough water they raised their heads, and 
as they saw one another they all burst out laughing, for each 
one had grown very tiny. Oh! how they laughed! 

They were all three sitting and looking at each other and 
laughing as hard as they could, when several Brownies came 
running up to see what the noise was about. 

“What are you laughing at?” they asked. 

“Because we have all grown so small — we look so funny.” 

“You must have been drinking out of the Get-little-pool,” 
one of the Brownies said, as he looked at them. 

“Do you want to see Stella?” another one asked. 

“I should think so,” Mr. Frog answered. “That is why we 
came.” 



“The Turtle going patiently along with Mrs. Frog riding on his back” 




































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THE TURTLE’S WISH 


81 


“May we see her soon?” asked Mrs. Frog. 

“Yes, indeed,” a third Brownie said. “I’ll go now and tell 
her that you are here. Just wait a moment; I won’t be very 
long.” And he hurried off to the lily-house. 

But Stella wasn’t there. It was a warm day; she was sitting 
on a clover flower in a shady place, and she was fanning her- 
self with a dragon-fly wing. 

That was her fan! 

As soon as she heard of the Frogs’ and the Turtle’s visit she 
jumped down from the flower, and, taking up her wand, 
which was lying on the ground where she bad thrown it, she 
went to the Get-little-pool. The Frogs and the Turtle were 
still laughing at one another. They were laughing so hard 
that Stella began to laugh too, and then one by one all the 
Brownies joined in. 

You never heard so much laughter! 

At last, when they had all stopped laughing, Stella dried 
her eyes on some dandelion fluff that she always kept as a 
handkerchief in her pocket. 

“Well,” she began, “what a wonderful laugh that was! I 
am quite tired.” 

Every one else was also tired. So they all sat around for 
some time and rested, and while they were resting the Turtle 
told Stella of how he had overheard Mr. Peacock and Mrs. 
Pelican talking, and how he had in that way learned of the 
End-of-the-earth fairy. 

“Do you always make wishes come true, Stella?” he asked. 


82 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


“Always — if they are good wishes,” she answered. “Tell 
me what is your wish?” 

“My wish is to be able in some way to get away from any- 
thing that wants to gobble me up, for I am always frightened, 
and I am tired of being frightened. It is very unpleasant. 
For instance, when I see the Pelicans I always have to hide.” 

“So do we,” cried Mr. and Mrs. Frog. 

Stella turned around and looked at them. 

“But it is very easy for you to get away,” she said to the 
Frogs. “You can hop so far and so quickly. I feel sorry 
though for Mr. Turtle. I shall have to think of some way to 
help him.” 

“Please get me my thinking cap?” she asked one of her 
Brownies. “I must think up an idea.” 

“Certainly,” answered the Brownie. “But before I go I 
want to ask you a question. What is better than an idea?” 

“I don’t know,” answered Stella. “What is better than an 
idea?” 

“A you dear,” laughed the Brownie, and he took her hand 
and kissed it. 

“That is very nice of you,” Stella said, and her little cheeks 
became as pink as her dress; but the Brownie had already 
gone. When he brought her the thinking cap, she put it on. 
It was a big cap and she could even put it over her little 
crown. 

All of a sudden she cried out, “I know — ” 

“Know what!” every one asked. 


THE TURTLE’S WISH 


83 

“Come here/’ cried Stella to the Turtle. “I have a splendid 
thought”; and with that she began waving her wand very 
quickly around and around him. 

He had the queerest feeling all over his skin. 

“What can be the matter with me?” he cried. “I almost 
feel sick. Oh, Stella! what is happening to me?” 

“You are all right,” the Fairy said. “Don’t be so fright- 
ened. You don’t suppose for one moment that I would hurt 
you?” 

“No,” answered the Turtle, “but I have a very strange feel- 
ing all over me. I don’t understand it.” 

“I know what it is,” and Stella smiled. “Now — ” (She 
was waving her wand around him for the third time.) “Look 
at yourself !” 

What do you suppose had happened to the Turtle? 

His soft, brown skin had by this time changed into a hard 
shell! 

You can imagine how astonished every one was. All the 
Brownies and also Mr. and Mrs. Frog crowded around him 
to see it. 

“ Work it,” said Stella to the Turtle (she 
was smiling more and more), “and see what 
happens.” 

With that Mr. Turtle tried to move his 
head and feet, and the next thing he knew he 
was all covered up by his shell. 

He was just like a hard round box with himself on the inside. 



84 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

Did you ever! 

From away in his shell they could hear him saying: 

“But I am lost! I cannot find myself inside here in the 
dark. I don’t think I like this.” 

“Oh! yes, you will like it,” laughed Stella, “for now noth- 
ing can hurt you. If any one wants to gobble you up, all you 
have to do is to close your shell around yourself, then you 
can listen, and when they have gone away you can open your 
shell and walk again.” 

“Can I?” asked Mr. Turtle. “I didn’t know that” 

As he spoke he found he could open his shell. “Why, 
hello, everybody!” he shouted, as his head and legs came out 
from his shell. “Here I am again! This is the most wonder- 
ful thing I ever saw. That was a splendid thought that came 
to you when you put on your thinking cap, Stella.” 

“Do you like it?” she asked. 

“Like it! I should think I do. I am so happy now that I 
just cannot thank you enough. It is a fine idea, and you are, 
just as the Brownie said, a — you dear.” 

“I am very glad you are so happy,” — and Stella turned to 
the Frogs. “Have you a wish?” she asked them. 

“No, thank you,” they both answered. “We only came,” 
added Mrs. Frog, “because we were so curious to see you and 
the Brownies and the End-of-the-earth.” 

“Well,” Stella said, “if you ever should have a wish, come 
back to me and I will make it come true. Now, you had 


THE TURTLE’S WISH 85 

better drink out of the Get-big-pool, so as to again be your 
own size.” 

All the way home the Turtle kept working his new shell. 
Mr. and Mrs. Frog would hop near and watch him as he 
closed himself up in it and then came out again. Every time 
he did it, they would all three laugh and laugh together. 

It was great fun. 

Now, you know how the Turtle got his shell, and you also 
know why. So that he can get inside where nothing can hurt 
him, and where he is perfectly safe from his enemies. 



XI 


HOW THE LIZARD BECAME A CHAMELEON 


F you were green, even to your hair, eyes and lips, and if 
you wore a green suit, and if you were sitting on the 
green grass, it would not be very easy to see you be- 
cause you, being all green, would look like the green 
grass — everything would be the same color. 

That is why during the summer in the different 
colored bushes, the Ermine is gray and brown, while 
in the winter as soon as the snow comes he turns 
white. He then looks almost the same as the white 
snow. It protects him from larger animals, that 
might hurt him. 

Where there is no snow, rabbits are always a grayish brown, 
but in countries where the snow is on the ground all through 

86 



HOW THE LIZARD BECAME A CHAMELEON 87 

the summer as well as throughout the winter you will never 
find colored rabbits. In those countries they are never any- 
thing but pure white. 

That is also why zebras and tigers are striped. They live in 
jungle grass, the blades of which are like long razor-shaped 
stripes. 

Snakes generally look like the ground on which they live. 
Sand-Snakes are sand colored. Snakes that live where the 
earth is black are black themselves; while in countries where 
the clay is red — the snakes are also red. 

It is very interesting. Don’t you find it so? 

If you will stop and think you will be able to remember any 
amount of animals, birds and fish that are colored like the 
place which is their home. 

The snake is a cousin of the lizard. Their heads look ex- 
actly the same. The lizard’s is smaller and he has four feet, 
while the snake, who is very long, has none. There is another 
difference: the snake is often very dangerous; some are not, 
but almost all of them are. They have a very poisonous bite, 
while the lizard hasn’t. 




88 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


Lizards are terribly lazy. They like to do nothing but lie 
all day in the sun and snap at flies and insects which they eat. 

One day a lizard was stretched in the sun on a wall. He 
was half asleep, but every now and then he would open one 
eye, to be sure that he wasn’t missing anything. All of a sud- 
den a long green snake glided up to him. 

“Hello!” the Snake called to him. “What are you doing?” 

“Nothing,” the Lizard answered. “Nothing but being 
comfortable. I like to be comfortable.” 

“That’s nothing,” the Snake went on. “Every one likes to 
be that. I do myself,” he added, as he curled himself around 
and around with only his head sticking up. “Come down and 
talk to me.” 

“I don’t want to move,” the Lizard said, who was too lazy 
even to be polite. 

“You are not very nice,” the Snake hissed back; “you know 
perfectly well that I, having no legs, can’t go up that wall to 
you, while you, having four absolutely good ones, can easily 
run down to me. Please come down. I won’t hurt you.” 

“Very well,” the Lizard said at last. He was blinking his 
half-closed eyes. 

On his way down a big bird happened to fly past him. 
This frightened him so that instantly a bright crimson thing 
like a tiny balloon came from his throat and stuck out of 
his mouth. 

“What in the world is that?” the astonished snake asked, 
as the bird disappeared in the tree-tops. 


HOW THE LIZARD BECAME A CHAMELEON 89 

“What is what?” asked the Lizard. 

“That little red balloon sticking out of your 
mouth.” 

“Oh that!” exclaimed the Lizard carelessly. 
“I always throw that out when I am nervous. 
I think I do it to frighten whatever has fright- 
ened me” By this time he had already swal- 
lowed it again. “You know,” he continued, 
as he came closer to the Snake, “you are ex- 
actly the same green as the grass. It is al- 
most hard to see you. I wish I were like that, 
for I would not be bothered or frightened so 
often if I couldn’t be seen.” He thought a 
moment, then he went on, “You are green, and 
you are always in the grass, but sometimes I 
am among the green leaves and other times I 
am on the brown trunk of a tree; then again I 
run across a white wall or I may be stretched 
along a red flower — I suppose I couldn’t pos- 
sibly be every color at once” 

“I should think you would go to see Stella,” the Snake said, 
and his bright little eyes were sparkling. 

“What has that to do with it?” asked the Lizard in a very 
cross manner. 

“It has a great deal to do with it,” answered the Snake. 
“Do you mean to say that you have never heard of Stella ?” 
“No, I haven’t. It sounds like a star.” 



90 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

“You are quite right! ‘Stella’ means ‘star,’ but Stella is 
the name of the fairy who can make any wish come true. I 
think your wish is to be every color at once — you seem to want 
a great deal! Still,” and he stopped to think a moment — 
“you might tell Stella what you wish and you may find that 
perhaps she can do something for you.” 

“Where does she live?” the Lizard asked in a very excited 
way. “Tell me, where does she live?” 

“At the End-of-the-earth,” answered the Snake. 

“Where is that?” 

“Over there,” and the snake 
pointed what direction it was with his 
head. 

“Is it very far away?” 

“Very” 

“I don’t care.” The Lizard was 
almost screaming by this time. “I 
don’t care a bit, I am going — and I 
am going now . Now show me ex- 
actly, how do I start?” 

“Turn halfway around,” the Snake 
told him, “and keep straight on until you reach the End-of- 
the-earth. You will get there sometime.” 

It took the lazy Lizard quite a while to reach Stella; but at 
last he found her. It seemed to him that he had been traveling 
forever. 

When he told her what it was that he wished, Stella had to 



HOW THE LIZARD BECAME A CHAMELEON 91 


put on her thinking-cap ; and what is more, she had to keep it 
on for an awfully long time. It was very hard to think of some 
way to make the Lizard every color at once; but in a few min- 
utes the right thought came to her. She sent for her wand. 

“I can't possibly make you every color at once ” she said, be- 
ginning to wave her wand around the Lizard, “but I can make 
you change color so as to be the same color of whatever you 
are walking on.” 

Then she called to her Brownies. 

“I want you to bring me several things,” she told them. 
“Please get me a gray stone, a piece of green moss, a red flower, 
a yellow flower, and also a brown flower.” 

After they had brought her these things, she placed them all 
on the ground between her and the Lizard and began waving 
her wand over him. 

“Now,” she began, “I want you to walk very slowly to me. 
First walk straight over the red flower.” 

As the Lizard did this he turned red! 

“Now, crawl along the moss,” Stella next said. 

Suddenly he changed to a bright green! 

“Now, walk over the stone,” she continued, “and go very 
slowly.” 

As the Lizard walked over the stone he became just as gray 
as was the stone! 

“Step on the yellow flower next.” 

As he obeyed her, the Lizard found he was suddenly quite 
yellow! 


92 


THE WISHIN G-FAIR Y’ S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


“Try the brown flower,” Stella went on. 

He was brown! He was also the most astonished and de- 
lighted Lizard in the world! 

“I am so pleased,” he said, “that somehow I can’t even re- 
member my name.” 

“Well,”— and Stella burst 
out laughing — “that is because 
even your name is changed.” 

“What is it now?” and the 
Lizard also began to laugh. 

“You are now a ‘chame- 
leon/ ” was the fairy’s answer. 
“You ought to be happy be- 
cause after this you will be quite safe in your own color. You 
will always be the same shade as whatever you stand on.” 

All the way home the little Chameleon walked across differ- 
ent colored things so as to have the pleasure of seeing himself 
change. It was lots of fun and he was very happy. 

He was lying on the brown stem of a vine the next time he 
saw the green snake, and until the Chameleon called to him 
the Snake never even noticed him, because he was the same 
brown as the stem! Then the Chameleon told the Snake all 
about his trip to the End-of-the-earth, and the Snake was so 
surprised that he told every one he met about the Chameleon, 
and every one he told the story to was terribly curious and 
went immediately to make a visit on the Chameleon, so that for 
days he was kept busy walking around and changing color. 



HOW THE LIZARD BECAME A CHAMELEON 93 


He was too busy to even be lazy, which was a good thing, for 
no one ought ever be lazy. 




XII 


THE ZEBRA AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 


^HE Zebra, as you know, is a cousin of the Horse. 

It is a little Horse — quite tiny — and full of fun, 
for it loves to play and romp about. 

One day when the Zebra was running around the 
country, it saw the Giraffe. 

Of course it was very surprised to see that the Gi- 
raffe, since they had last seen one another, had grown 
a wonderful and long neck — a neck so long that the 
Giraffe could reach all the young juicy leaves at 
the tops of the trees, so the Zebra asked the Giraffe 
to tell him how he got the neck — and what had hap- 
pened to him. When the Zebra asked him all about every- 
thing, the Giraffe said: 



94 


THE ZEBRA AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 


95 


“Well, you and I can go away by ourselves where no one 
can hear us, and then I will tell you a secret — a secret of which 
I haven’t told any one — yet.” 

The Zebra was awfully curious. 

Every one is curious, but some of us are more so than others. 

Are you? 

In a way it is a good thing to 
be curious, for when we are we 
learn all sorts of new and inter- 
esting things — things that we 
really ought to know. 

“What is your secret?” the 
Zebra asked the Giraffe. 

“My secret?” The Giraffe 
thought a moment. “Well, I’ll 
tell you — It is this. For a long while I had wished and 
wished and wished that I could reach far up enough to eat the 
little young leaves on the tops of the trees. Don’t tell any one 
what I am telling you, because really it is a secret.” 

“Of course I won’t,” the Zebra said. “Do you for one mo- 
ment think that I would tell some one’s secret to any one else — 
a thing that you ask me not to tell? I promise I won’t — and as 
you know nobody can break a promise any more than any one 
can tell some one else’s secret. Go on. Is that how you got 
your long neck? By going to see Stella, the Wishing-Fairy?” 

“Yes, I told her that I wished for one very much, and she — 
well, she just gave me one. It is splendid ; for now I can reach 



96 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

away up to the tops of the trees and can eat the best leaves — 
the young and tender ones.” 

“I have a wish too,” said the Zebra. 

“What is it?” the Giraffe asked. 

“Well, I will try and explain,” answered the Zebra. “I love 
colors. If I see a beautiful red or green or blue — or for that 
matter any color — it always gives me pleasure; why I even 
want to touch the color, so that at the same time I see it I can 
feel it. Do you know what I mean?” 

“Perfectly,” answered the Giraffe. “By the way, I like the 
colors I am, the colors of brown and black — do you?” and he 
turned his long neck around and looked at himself. 

“Yes, I do. I wish I were some other color. I am tired of 
being a gray-brown. Do you know what I should like?” 

“What?” asked the Giraffe. 

“I should like to have some stripes around me; stripes that 
look like black satin ribbons.” 

“I think that would be nice,” the Giraffe answered. He 
said nothing for a moment, for he was thinking. “Yes,” he 
went on, “the tiger has black stripes and tigers are very beau- 
tiful. Do you know why the tiger has those stripes?” 

“No,” said the Zebra, “why?” 

“Because he generally lives among long thin jungle leaves, 
and the stripes make him look the same as the leaves, so that 
no one bothers him. It is quite hard to see him — unless you 
are very close. Shall I tell you how to get what you want?” 

“Yes, indeed,” cried the Zebra, “I should love to know.” 


THE ZEBRA AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 


97 


“Go to see Stella, at the End-of-the-earth. 

She makes wishes come true.” 

“Will you show me the way?” the Zebra asked. 

“Well, I’ll go part of the way with you,” the 
Giraffe said. “It will be easier and we 
can talk and play together, for, you know, 
it is very far from here.” 

“Yes, I suppose it is,” said the Zebra. 

'‘Come, let us start now. 

I can hardly wait to see 
Stella and tell her my 
wish. Are you sure 
she will make it come 
true?” 

“Sure?” answered the 
Giraffe. “Of course I 
am sure. Didn’t she give me this long neck? Just because I 
wished for it. That was it — and because I knew that after I 
had told her my troubles she would help me. Come, we will 
start now.” 

For a long while they ran along side by side, and then the 
Giraffe, who was very tired, stopped a moment. 

“I think I have gone far enough,” he said. “Now, you 
know the way, and I am quite sure that you will not get lost. 
Just keep straight on,” and he pointed ahead with one of his 
forefeet. 

“Very well,” said the Zebra, “good-by; and thanks so 



98 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S animal friends 


much for having come this far with me. Good-by, good-by.” 

He started off very quickly, while the Giraffe stood and 
watched him disappear behind the hills. 

The Zebra ran and ran and ran, and it seemed as though 
he would never reach the Wishing-Fairy. Night came on, 
so he lay down underneath a big tree and went fast asleep. 
In the morning when the sun woke him up by shining in his 
eyes, he went to the river and had a long drink and ate a lot 
of grass. (That is what zebras eat.) When he had had 
enough breakfast he began running again. 

All of a sudden he caught one foot in a hole and over he 
went. He had an awful fall, and he turned his foot very 
badly. It hurt him a great deal. It hurt him so much that 
he had to stop. After a while he felt that he could begin 
running again, but he was limping terribly. By this time he 
was very near Stella’s home, and the first thing he did when 
he saw her was to show her his foot and ask her to make it 
well. 

Stella sent the Brownies for some water, and when they 
brought some from the Get-little-pool to the Zebra in their 
tiny shell-buckets, she first made him drink so that he would 
become little enough to have her come near him; then she put 
the rest of the water on a bandage and wound it around his 
foot, and all of a sudden it stopped hurting. 

“Now,” said Stella, “just lie down on the grass and tell me 
what else I can do for you.” 



“Stella waved her wand and the Zebra had his stripes” 



































































































THE ZEBRA AND THE WISHING-FAIRY 


99 

“ You can make my wish come true,” the Zebra said. “I 
hope you will.” 

“What do you want?” Stella asked. 

“I want some black stripes all around me. I think they 
would be very pretty. Stripes that would look like black 
satin ribbons.” 

So Stella waved her wand three times around him and the 
Zebra had his stripes. 

He was very happy because his wish had come true, and he 
could hardly wait to run home again and show himself to the 
Giraffe. 

So now you know how the Zebra got his black stripes. 



XIII 


MR. AND MRS. FROG GO BACK TO STELLA 


T was a very hot day. 

Around the lake where the frogs lived there were 
ever so many of them playing in the cool water. 

All of a sudden there was a terrible noise at one 
end of the lake, and every one who heard it rushed 
over to see what was the trouble. 

What do you think it was? 

Two big bull-frogs were having a fight! I don’t 
know what it was about though. 

Have you ever seen frogs fighting? 

One jumped at the other full on the nose, then he 
backed away and jumped once more, and this time he bit the 
other frog on the side, and then, after backing away again, he 



IOO 



MR. AND MRS. FROG GO BACK TO STELLA 101 

rushed and grabbed him by one of his legs. Holding it tight 
in his mouth, he swam off as quickly as he could, dragging the 
other frog behind him. They were both screaming “Ptooo, — 
ptooo, — ptooo,” as loud as they could, but there was no one to 
hear them except the frogs who had gathered around the edge 
of the lake to watch the fight. Each and every one of them 
was calling “Ptooo, — ptooo, — ptooo,” and as there were very 
many of them, you never heard such a noise in your life! 



At last, when the two frogs were tired of fighting, the big 
one who had hold of the other one’s leg, let him go. He had 
almost bitten the poor foot off. Then the big one went back to 
the edge of the lake, where all the other frogs were waiting to 
ask him what the fight had been about. 

He first saw Mrs. Frog, and hopped straight over to the 
stone on which she was sitting. 

“What happened?” she asked him, as soon as he had jumped 
up beside her. “Why were you so angry, and why did you 
hurt that poor other frog so? Are you hurt?” 

“Of course, I’m not hurt,” he answered proudly. “The 
whole thing began when that other frog caught a fat white fly 
that got away from me. I only missed the fly because I 


102 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


couldn’t quite make my mouth reach far enough. It made 
me angry so I thought I would punish the other frog. Before 
I knew it we were having an awful fight. I wish that my 
mouth were bigger. I am going to see Stella.” 

“Who is Stella, and what has she to do with your having a 
larger mouth?” — and Mrs. Frog laughed. 

“Don’t you remember the time you and I went with Mr. 
Turtle to the End-of-the-earth to see the Wishing-Fairy? 
Don’t you remember getting tired and riding the rest of the 
way on the Turtle’s back? Don’t tell me you have forgotten !” 

“No, indeed,” answered Mrs. Frog. “I remember now; 
but I also remember that when we saw Stella and she asked 
you if you had a wish, you said that you hadn’t. Now, 
you — ” 

“Now, yes, I have a wish,” Mr. Frog interrupted, “a big 
wish ; so I’m going back and tell her about it.” 

“Well, what is it?” asked Mrs. Frog, who was very curious. 
She was always asking questions; some of them he could an- 
swer, but a great many he could 
not; and when he could not, he 
would swim away and leave her 
alone until she had forgotten the 
question. That would make 
Mrs. Frog awfully angry. 

“Very well, if you must know, 
I will tell you,” began Mr. 
Frog, after thinking a moment. 



MR. AND MRS. FROG GO BACK TO STELLA 103 


“When that nice fat white fly got away from me and that other 
frog caught him, it annoyed me very much. The only reason 
he got away is that my mouth isn’t big enough. I want a 
wide, large, -stretchy mouth — an enormous one. What do you 
think about it?” 

“I think it is a wonderful idea,” she answered. “In fact, I 
would like to have one too. Flies are hard to catch, and I 
find that often when I snap at them, I cannot quite make my 
mouth reach either. Yes, it’s a good idea.” 

“Do you want to come with me and also ask Stella for a 
large mouth?” Mr. Frog asked. 

“Yes, indeed!” Mrs. Frog answered. 

“Well, come along then. I want to go now,” — and as Mr. 
Frog said this he started in the direction of the End-of-the- 
earth. 

Poor Mrs. Frog couldn’t travel quite as fast as he could, so in 
a few minutes she called out, 

“Don’t hop so quickly. I can’t possibly keep up with you.” 

Then they traveled much slower, but after a long while they 
finally reached the home of Stella. 

“Hello!” said Stella. “It’s a long time since we have seen 
each other — since the day you came with the Turtle.” 

“What a good memory you have!” Mrs. Frog said in an as- 
tonished way. 

“I never forget anything,” Stella continued. “I also re- 
member how much we all laughed — and I remember that you 
said you had no wish, and I was surprised at that; because 


104 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S animal friends 

every one I see always has a wish. It seems to me as though 
every one and everything in the world has some kind of a 
wish.” 

“Do you remember telling me if I should ever wish for 
something I must come to you?” Mr. Frog asked her. “Well, 
here I am.” 

Mrs. Frog suddenly joined in: “We came,” she whispered 
to the Fairy, “because we both wish that we could have our 
mouths made large and stretchy.” 

“Could you do that for us?” asked Mr. Frog, anxiously, as 
he hopped closer to Stella. 

It wasn’t very long before the frogs had what they wanted, 
and they were delighted. 

They hopped up close to one another and stood face to face, 
and Mr. Frog stretched his mouth as wide as he could make it 
stretch, so as to be quite sure that Mrs. Frog’s mouth was no 
larger than his. 

Stella burst out laughing at him. 

“Don’t worry,” she said to him. “Mrs. Frog’s mouth is no 
larger than yours. If you measure them, you will find they 
are both just the same, and now you can catch as many flies 
as you wish — and big ones too.” 

After she had told him this, they seemed satisfied. 

They thanked her very much, and started for home. 

You should have seen the pond where the frogs lived 
after they reached it. 

All the frogs in the place came up to them and made them 



'‘Don’t worry, Mrs. Frog’s mouth is no larger than yours” 



MR. AND MRS. FROG GO BACK TO STELLA 105 



open wide their mouths and looked at their lips and even their 
throats, so that they would know all about them. 

Mr. and Mrs. Frog felt very important, and when an enor- 
mous moth flew by and Mr. Frog snapped at it, and his mouth 
was large enough to gobble it up, he was just about as proud 
as a frog could be. 

So was Mrs. Frog. 

Every frog in that pond then suddenly had a wish — they all 
had the same wish — and the wish was to have a mouth big 
enough to swallow a tremendous moth, such as they had just 
seen Mr. Frog gobble up. 

All of a sudden they started for the End-of-the-earth. 
There were hundreds and hundreds of frogs, all hopping along 
as fast as they could, and each one croaking as loud as he could 
about his wish. They were awfully excited, and later on, after 
they had seen Stella, they were very happy; for she made their 
wish come true — so now you know how the Frog got his big 
mouth and why. Don’t you ? 




XIV 

THE PORCUPINE 

T HE poor old Porcupine was very angry and tired. 

He was also wet, for it had been raining all day. 
He had crept down into the hole where he lived, 
so as to be alone and try to get happy again. 

Do you want to know why he was angry and 
tired? 

Because everywhere he had been that day he had 
somehow or other gotten into trouble. 

First, he had walked too near a big goose and her 
family, and the mother goose, thinking that he 
wanted to hurt her babies, had stretched out her 
wings as wide as she could and had flown at him. With her 
strong bill she had pecked and pecked and pecked him. It 
106 



THE PORCUPINE 


107 




accidents made him a 
at last he was more an- 
been in his whole life, 
alone a while in the 


had hurt very much, for geese are aw- 
fully strong. Then, after he got away 
from her, he had wandered into the 
farmer’s pig-sty where a very large 
pig had rushed at him and bit him. He had a terrible fight 
with the pig. After that a wild-cat had sprung down at him 
from the lower branches of a tree and it had bitten and 
scratched, bitten and scratched and bitten and scratched him 
until he was all torn and bleeding. 

Every one of these 
little bit angrier, until 
gry than he had ever 

After he had been 
comfortable hole in the ground that was his home he went 
to sleep; which was the best thing that could have hap- 
pened. 

When he woke he was rested, the hurt places all over his 
poor little body were no longer bleeding, and it had stopped 
raining. 

What do you suppose woke him up? 

Mr. and Mrs. Owl were sitting together in a bush that was 
near his home, and Mr. 

Owl was talking about a 
field-mouse he had almost 
caught, but it had gotten 
away from him. Mr. Owl said he had caught three mice that 
day and Mrs. Owl said not at all, that he had only caught two 



io8 THE WISFIING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


mice. They were talking so loud that that was what had 
wakened the Porcupine. 

The Porcupine didn’t move. He was more comfortable in 
the hole than he had been all day, so he lay there and listened. 

After Mr. and Mrs. Owl had finished fussing about the 
mice, they began talking of the End-of-the-earth and of Stella. 



The Porcupine heard all this, and that was how he first knew 
about the Wishing-Fairy. 

He no sooner knew about her than he made up his mind to 
go to her. 

He wanted very much to tell her his troubles and see if she 
could help him, so he dragged himself up out of his hole and 
started then and there for the End-of-the-earth. 

He had a terrible time reaching Stella, because his poor old 
body was so sore that every step hurt him and he had never 
been so glad in his life as when he at last saw her. 

As soon as he had drunk from the Get-little-pool, Stella and 
the Brownies bathed him with cool fresh water to make the 
sore places well. 


THE PORCUPINE 


109 


“You poor thing,” Stella said, as she 
poured water over his cuts and bruises, 
“I feel very sorry for you. You must 
have had a bad fight.” 

“I feel sorry for myself,” said the Porcupine, “very sorry. 
In fact no one could possibly feel as sorry for me as I feel for 
myself. ‘A fight,’ you say. A fight — there were three fights 
— and each one was worse than the others. It was simply 
horrible.” 

Then Stella asked him why he had come to see her. 

“I came,” he said, “because I wanted to tell you my story 
and see if there is anything you can do that will keep 
me out of any more trouble. You see, this is how it 
is. If any one wants to bother me there is really 
nothing I can do to protect myself. I mean by that, 
there is no way for me to fight them so that they can’t 
hurt me. The only thing I can do is to try and get 
away, and by that time I am always very badly hurt. Is there 
anything you can do for me?” 

“Yes,” answered Stella, “of course there must be something 
I can do.” 

She put on her thinking cap. It had only been on her 
head a moment when she knew what to do for the Porcu- 
pine. 

Taking her wand she waved it around him three times. 

All of a sudden he had a prickly feeling in his skin, and as 
he was looking at himself to see what was the matter, he saw 




no THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


hundreds and hundreds of queer little needles stick out all 
over his body. 

“What can those be?” he asked in astonishment. “I never 
saw anything so strange.” 

“Those needles,” Stella told him, “are instead 
of hair or fur, and, what is more, if things want 
to come near you to hurt you, all you have to do 
is to shoot a needle at them. It will stick in 
them and bother them so much that they will run 
away as quickly as they can and leave you in 
peace. After this I know you will have no more 

“How perfectly splendid!” the Porcupine said. “It’s won- 
derful. Thank you very much. I am glad that you did this 
for me. Now I won’t have to be afraid of everything, and I 
won’t have to hide all the time. Good-by, Stella. I am very 
much obliged.” 

Stella stood and watched him for a long while after he had 
started for home. 

As she was looking at him, he ran near a big snake — a big 
black one with angry, yellow eyes. 

The Snake curled up and hissed at him, and the Porcupine 
was very frightened, for he knew that the Snake was going to 
spring at him. 

The first thing he knew a needle shot from him straight into 
the Snake. The next thing he knew the Snake was gliding 
away just as fast as it could go. 



THE PORCUPINE 


ill 



I don’t know which was the most surprised, the Snake or the 
Porcupine. 

The Porcupine turned around, and he saw Stella watching 
him. 

“Did you see that?” he called back to her. 

“I should think I did,” she said. “Fve been watching you 
because I wanted to see how your needles would work.” 

“They work beautifully,” he answered. “I won’t have 
trouble any more. Thanks again. You’ve been very good 
to me.” 

Stella waved her hand to him. 

“No, you won’t,” she said. “Good-by and good luck.” 

“Good-by,” he called, as he shot a needle into the air just 
for the fun of it; “good-by.” 

Now you know why the Porcupine is covered with needles: 
so that he can protect himself when anything wants to fight 
him. And they protect him wonderfully too! 





XV 

THE CATERPILLAR WHO WAS TIRED OF HIMSELF 

I AM sure that you have often seen caterpillars walking 
very slowly on the ground or along the trees and 
bushes. 

Some are smooth, and some have fuzzy hair all 
over them. 

A caterpillar has lots and lots of tiny legs under- 
neath each side, and it walks by holding up its head 
and the front part of its body, then putting it down 
again farther along, and while that part of it is on 
the ground it draws up its back legs to where its head 
was before. Each time it does this it finds itself 
only a little farther along than it was; so you can imagine how 
slow it is, and what a long time it takes to go very far. 

1 13 



114 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S animal friends 

Would you like to hear 
about the Caterpillar that 
went to Stella? 

He was a smooth, fat little 
fellow, and he was green, with 
pretty black dots along his 
sides. 

I do not know who told him 
about the Wishing-Fairy ; but 
he had heard of her from some 
one — maybe it was from the 
Squirrel, because the Squirrel 
was often hopping and play- 
ing around the wild carrot 
flowers where the Caterpillar 
lived. 

The Caterpillar made up 
his mind to go see Stella, and 
though he knew that she lived at the End-of-the-earth, he 
didn’t know how to get there, but he started off in that direc- 
/ tion anyhow. 

It was too bad; but the poor little thing started the wrong 
way, and the first thing he knew he came to a big river, 
and he couldn’t go any farther because he could not swjm. 

He was very tired by this time and very unhappy, for he 
didn’t know what to do; so he stretched himself along a blade 
of grass to rest a bit. He stayed there a long while, and 
thought and thought and thought. 





THE CATERPILLAR WHO WAS TIRED 115 

He was thinking how he could get across that river. 

All of a sudden he saw a big leaf floating on the water. 

“Aha!” he thought, “that is just the thing. I shall drag a 
leaf over to the river, put it on the water, and it will be my 
boat, and then when it floats over to the other side of the river 
I can get off — and I will be just where I now wish I were.” 

He was glad that he had thought of this. He walked down 
from the blade of gras, crawled up a tree and bit off a big leaf 
from the first branch he came to. 

The leaf was very heavy for him, and he had a hard time 
dragging it to the river; but at last he got it there. He 
crawled on to it as quickly as he could, and the first thing he 
knew off his little leaf-boat floated, with him sitting very com- 
fortably in the middle of it. 

At first he was afraid of falling off or of being gobbled up 
by a fish; because fish love to eat caterpillars. He was also 
afraid that some bird might see him and fly above the leaf so 
as to catch him; because birds also eat caterpillars and worms 
and other fat and juicy things. 

But tfje fishes couldn’t see him. All they could see was a 
big leaf floating above them on the water, and the birds didn’t 



l 


1 16 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


see him, because he was green, and as he was sitting on a green 
leaf he looked just the same color as the leaf. 

The poor little Caterpillar kept watching above for birds in 
the sky and below for fish in the water. 

Oh! he was awfully frightened. 

After a while when no fishes or birds had bothered him, he 
wasn’t quite so frightened; so he lay on his leaf in the warm 
sun and looked around at everything he passed; and how he 
enjoyed it! 

And he went to sleep ! Fast asleep!! 

All the time he slept the leaf was floating nearer and nearer 
the other side of the river, and at last it bumped against the 
ground. It bumped so hard that the Caterpillar woke up with 
a start and fell off on the earth alongside the river. 

“Goodness, gracious! I wonder what has happened and 
where I can be,” he said to himself, but in a moment, when he 
was wide awake, he suddenly remembered everything, and 
looked all around to see where he was. 

And how happy he was to see that he was just where he 
had wanted to be — on the other side of the river! 

As soon as he knew that, he began crawling as fast as he 
could ; but even when a caterpillar goes as fast as it can, it can- 
not go very fast; therefore, it took him the longest kind of a 
time to reach the End-of-the-earth. 

When at last he got there, the first thing he did was to fall 
asleep again. He had never been so tired in all his life; so he 
slept and slept and slept. 

What do you think woke him up? 


THE CATERPILLAR WHO WAS TIRED 


117 



“Lazy thing, nothing,” answered the poor little Caterpillar, 
who was wriggling around and very angry. “If you had 
crawled as far as I have you would be tired too, and you would 
want to sleep as much as I do. I wish you would stop tickling 
me with that blade of grass. It will make me laugh — and I 
don’t want to laugh. I am much too tired. I wish you would 
go away,” he added. “I don’t like to be teased and tickled.” 

“Very well,” answered the Brownie, “I suppose you are 
right. It isn’t very nice to tease any one; but you looked so 
sleepy that I couldn’t help wanting to wake you up and find 
out what you are doing here. What do you want, anyhow?” 

“I want to visit the Wishing-Fairy,” the Caterpillar an- 


1 18 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


swered. “I think she must live somewhere around here. 
Have you ever heard of her?” 

“I should think I have,” laughed the Brownie. “Why, I 
take care of her. She lives here.” 

“Oh! isn't that wonderful?” the Caterpillar cried out. “I 
am so glad that I am near her. Where is she? Could I see 
her soon — now?” 

“Well,” answered the Brownie, “you will see her soon; but 
you cannot see her now , as she is somewhere around riding on 
her butterfly.” 

“Do you think she will ride very long?” the Caterpillar 
asked. 

“No,” said the Brownie; “she has been away for quite a 
while already. I think she ought to be back any minute now. 
Why, there she is,” he added. “Look,” — and he pointed with 
the blade of grass (which he still held in his hand) to show 
the Caterpillar where Stella was coming nearer and nearer to 
them on her butterfly. 

“Isn’t she beautiful!” the Caterpillar cried, as she rode up 
to them. 

“Indeed, she is,” the Brownie said, and then he turned to her. 
“Here is some one who has come from very far away to see 
you, Stella.” 

“I’m very glad you came,” Stella said to the Caterpillar. 
“You are so small already that you won’t have to drink out of 
our Get-little-pool,” and off she hopped from the butterfly’s 



“Stella was coming nearer and nearer to them on her Butterfly” 































♦ 































THE CATERPILLAR WHO WAS TIRED 


119 

back. “Come over and sit by me and tell me what you wanted 
to see me about.” 

The Caterpillar crawled over to her, and they both sat side 
by side on a flower that was growing near them. She was 
waving her wand around as she spoke. 

“What is that?” asked the Caterpillar, pointing to the wand. 

“That,” said Stella, “is what I use when I make wishes come 
true.” 

“Oh!” whispered the Caterpillar, but that was all he said, 
though he was very curious. He wanted to ask her more about 
it, but he didn’t. Instead, he said very softly, “I have a wish. 
I hope you can make it come true for me.” 

“What is it? Tell me” 

“Well,” began the Caterpillar, “I am tired of being myself. 
I hate it.” 

“What do you mean?” asked Stella. 

“Just what I say,” the Caterpillar answered. “I am tired of 
always having to crawl and creep on the ground and of being 
slow — because I cannot go fast, no matter how hard I try. I 
am always afraid that some bird will see me and gobble me up 
before I have time to get away. I am just tired of it all, and 
I wish I could be something else. Do you think you could 
make me something else? Please think of a way.” 

Stella put her little hand over her eyes and she thought and 
thought and thought. At last she asked: 

“Do you know what happens when people die?” 


120 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


“No, I don’t think I do,” the Caterpillar answered. “What 
happens?” 

“Well, it is this way,” Stella began. “They go to sleep for 
a long while, and when they wake up they find themselves in 
Heaven with God and His angels, and they find that they are 
quite different from what they were before they died.” 

“In what way?” asked the Caterpillar. 

“In every way,” answered Stella. “To begin with, they are 


perfectly lovely; they are perfectly happy, 
and also they are perfectly good. Any trou- 
bles they may have had are gone, and they 
never can do anything that is bad. That is 



the very reason they are so happy — because they are in 
Heaven.” 

“Then, I want to die,” said the poor little Caterpillar 
quickly. “Make me die, Stella dear.” 

“You won’t have to die — you poor little thing,” Stella began, 
“I will find a way,” and she started thinking again. “I know. 
I will have you build a little thing around you and we will call 
it a cocoon, and you can go fast asleep in your cocoon, and when 
you wake up you will be a — a butterfly.” 

“Oh! how wonderful!” cried the Caterpillar. “How I 
should love to be a butterfly and fly away up in the sunshine 
and never have to crawl slowly along on the ground. It 
would be lovely; but, Stella, I don’t know how to build a 
cocoon. How can I do it?” 

“That will be easy,” said Stella; “you will spin it. If you 


THE CATERPILLAR WHO WAS TIRED 


121 


will wriggle slowly from side to side you will begin to spin. 
Try it” 

So the Caterpillar started to wriggle and wriggle on the stem 
of the flower, and soon he found that he was spinning a fine 
little silk thread around him and the stem. 

“Go on,” said Stella. “Don’t stop until I tell you to.” 
And all the time he was wriggling from side to side in the 
cocoon she was waving her wand over the Caterpillar. 

At last she told the Caterpillar to stop. 

“Is the cocoon finished?” he called back from the inside of 
it, for by this time he was all covered with silk. “What does 
it look like?” 

“It looks like a lovely little gray 
ball, only it isn’t round. It is longer. 

It is about the shape of a peanut, and 
it is nice and thick and will keep you 
warm so that you can sleep in it until 
you wake up, and when you wake up 
the cocoon will break open and you 
will be a butterfly and fly out of it.” 

Stella had to say this very loud. She 
could not speak softly because the 
Caterpillar was tucked away in the in- 
side of his cocoon and he would not 
have been able to hear her. 

“How lovely that will be!” the 
Caterpillar answered. “I shall be so 



122 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


happy. I want to thank you very very much for making my 
wish come true.” 

“Well,” answered Stella, “I am happy because you are. 
Now, you had better go to sleep. Good night, dear.” 

“Good night,” answered the Caterpillar in a sleepy voice 
from away inside his cocoon. “Good night.” 

So now you know how it is that Caterpillars spin little co- 
coons around themselves and sleep in them where they are 
warm, all through the long, cold winter. In the spring, 
when the sunshine is nice and hot, the cocoon bursts open and 
out flys a beautiful butterfly. 




XVI 

THE MONKEYS GO TO STELLA 

O you know which animal looks the most like a per- 
son? The Monkey. 

Once upon a time though, before they looked 
quite so much like us, a little Monkey was playing in 
the top of a cocoa-nut tree. He was breaking off 
cocoa-nuts and was throwing them down to a boy 
who was standing beneath the tree. The boy would 
throw a stone at the Monkey and then the Monkey, 
who wanted to throw something back at him (for 
monkeys love to play ball), would pick off another 
cocoa-nut and throw it at the boy. Each time the 
Monkey did this the boy, who had a big basket, picked up the 
cocoa-nut and placed it in his basket to bring home to his 
mother. 



123 


124 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

After the boy had left, the poor little monkey, who was feel- 
ing very lonesome and who wanted to play the game of cocoa- 
nut ball longer, climbed down and went to look for another 
monkey to play with. When at last he had found a monkey 
friend of his, they both climbed a tree, sat side by side on a 
big branch and had a 
long talk together. 

“I heard a funny 
thing to-day,” said the 
monkey friend after a 
while. 

“What was that?” 
the first monkey 
asked. 

“I heard Mrs. Kan- 
garoo telling about 
how she got her pocket. You know, I suppose, that she al- 
ways carries her baby in it now. She says it is a great com- 
fort.” 

“Yes, I know about her pocket. It must be a great comfort. 
I remember when I was a baby monkey I always had to hang 
on, as hard as I could, to the fur on my mother’s chest and 
sometimes I used to grow awfully tired trying not to fall off. 
Wouldn’t it be nice for baby monkeys if mother monkeys had 
a pocket like the kangaroos have? But, tell me, how did Mrs. 
Kangaroo first get her pocket? That I don’t know.” 

Then his little monkey friend told him what he had heard 



THE MONKEYS GO TO STELLA 


125 


the Kangaroo talking about. It seems that she 
had been telling about the End-of-the-earth, 
about the Get-little-pool and about Stella, 
who could make any wish come true. She 
had told of how she has traveled there, and 
of the trouble she had always had before that 
trying not to lose her baby kangaroo, and that 
the reason that Stella had given her a fur 
pocket to keep her baby warm and comfort- 
able in was because her wish had been never to 
lose it again. Mrs. Kangaroo had also told about Stella’s 
lovely dress that was made out of flowers — of how she wore a 
tiny golden crown with a star on it and of how she rode a but- 
terfly. She told of the funny, little, old Brownies who took 
such good care of the Wishing-Fairy, of the bees that 
brought honey from the flowers for ’her to eat. Then the 
Kangaroo had talked of all the different animals that had been 
to see Stella and how Stella always helped 
them and made them happy by having their 
wishes come true. All this time the monkey 
friend had sat and listened, for he was so in- 
terested that he wanted to hear all about every- 
thing. 

“I wish I could see her,” the Monkey who 
had been playing cocoa-nut ball in the tree 
said. 

“Why?” asked his friend. “Have you a 
wish?” 




126 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 


“Yes,” answered the other. “To-day I was playing with a 
little boy, and, you know, I wish I looked more like a human 
being — I mean by that, more like people — more like that little 
boy. Wouldn’t you like to?” 

The other monkey did not speak for a moment. 

“Yes,” he said. “I hadn’t thought of it, but now that you 
talk of it I think I would. Yes,” he added; “it would be 
very nice.” 

“Let us give our call so that all our 
monkey families and friends will hear it 
and know that they are to come to us as 
quickly as they can.” 

“What do you want every monkey in the 
forest to come here for?” 

“When they all get here, we will tell 
them that we are going to see the Wishing- 
Fairy so as to ask her to make us more like 
people. They, perhaps, would like to go 
with us.” 

So he gave his call. 

Did you know that monkeys have a call? It is a funny 
sound, something between a hiss, a rattle and a whistle. 

He had no sooner given his call than hundreds and hun- 
dreds and hundreds of monkeys of all sizes and all ages came 
hurrying to them as fast as they could from out of the woods. 
They all came swinging along from branch to branch. 

When they were there and had heard about the Wishing- 



THE MONKEYS GO TO STELLA 127 

Fairy, every one of them decided to go to see Stella immedi- 
ately. 

I wish you could have seen Stella’s face when they arrived 
at the End-of-the-earth ! The End-of-the-earth didn’t look the 
same with so many monkeys here, there and everywhere. 

The Brownies had to fill the Get-little-pool ten times before 
each monkey had had his sip from it. 

At last they all sat in a circle around Stella and told her that 
they wanted to look more like people. Stella couldn’t help 
smiling as she heard this, for they were all talking at once and 
you cannot imagine what a noise they made! Each one was 
waving his arms and trying to talk louder than the others, so 
that Stella had to ask them to be quiet and for just one of 
them to speak for the others. They all turned to the little 
monkey who had been playing cocoa-nut ball in the tree, as he 
was the one who had first had the idea. Then Stella stood in 
the middle of the circle and waved her wand three times 
around them and the first thing they knew — they did look more 
like people! Their faces became more like ours, their paws 
became more like hands and feet, and they began to walk on 
two feet instead of hopping along on all fours. 

So now you know how it happened. 

As they traveled home from the End-of-the-earth, all the 
trees were shaking and waving as the hundreds and hundreds 
and hundreds of monkeys sprang from branch to branch, as 
they were leaping at one another and chattering as hard as they 
could. 


128 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 



They couldn’t help playing and teasing for they were so 
happy. Their wish had come true! 




XVII 

BROTHER AND SISTER VISIT THE WISHING-FAIRY 

two children had been put to bed; but through 
the open windows they could hear the birds 
singing about the things that had happened to 
them that day and calling good night to one an- 
other from tree to tree. 

The children lay in their beds and listened to 
them. Though they had thought they were 
tired, it was so warm that somehow they could 
not go to sleep. 

“Sister,” the little boy said, “I think it would 
be fun to get up and go out in the garden.” 

“I think it would be nice too,” answered the little girl, “but 
129 



130 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

the things that our nurse 
would say to us if we did it 
wouldn’t be so nice. She 
would be very angry.” 

“Yes,” said the little boy, “that is true ; but let’s do it just the 
same.” 

You see the little boy often did things that the nurse thought 
were naughty, and that is how he would sometimes get into 
trouble, and would have to be punished. 

The children had a dog. His name was “Jeff.” 

Jeff always slept on the floor near the little boy’s bed, and 
as the children were talking, Jeff jumped up, had a big 
stretch, and came over to the little boy who by this time was 
getting up. Jeff stood, his tongue hanging out, watching a mo- 
ment, and then he trotted over to the little girl. She too was 
getting out of bed. Jeff kissed her little toes; it tickled, so she 
began laughing. 

“You know, Brother,” she said, “I really 
think that Jeff understands what we are talking 
about. Don’t you?” 

“I don’t think it — I know it,” he answered. 

“You understand us, don’t 
you, Jeff?” 

Jeff barked once or twice, 
and he ran around to where 
the little boy was sitting and 
took his hand in his mouth. 




BROTHER AND SISTER 


131 

He barked a bit, still holding Brother’s hand in his mouth as 
though he wanted the boy to come with him. 

“What shall we do?” Sister asked, “and where shall we go?” 

“Let’s get our two goats and go for a ride. What would 
you like to do, Sister?” 

“That would be splendid,” she answered. “Come, but we 
must be very quiet so that no one will hear us.” 

Jeff was still holding Brother’s hand with his warm little 
mouth, and pulling and pulling and pulling. He was trying 
to make him go with him, so Brother said, 

“Come along, Sister. It looks as though Jeff wants to lead 
us somewhere. Come. Hurry.” 

Jeff ran out of the room, still leading the little boy by the 
hand, and the little girl followed as fast as she could. 

The dog ran straight to the stable where the children’s two 
goats were kept. As soon as the goats were untied, they rushed 
out of the stable. As they ran the tinkling of bells could be 
heard, for around the neck of each was tied a little bell. On 
Brother’s goat it was 
tied with a pink ribbon, 
and around Sister’s 
goat a blue ribbon held 
the bell in place. 

The goats began nib- 
bling the grass, and 
every now and then 
they would look at the 
children and the dog in 



132 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

such a surprised way, as though they were wondering what 
they were doing down in the stable so late; at an hour when 
they were usually fast asleep. 

“Come along, Nanny,” the little boy cried to his goat. 
“Stop eating grass, you greedy thing. Sister and I are go- 
ing to ride. Sister, shall I help you to get up on Snowy?” 

But she was already on Snowy’s 
back. Snowy was the name of 
her goat. 

Presently off they started ; each 
child riding a goat, the bells were 
going tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, and 
Jeff ran on ahead barking and 
jumping here and there, while 
every other second he would turn 
around to see that they were following him. 

They rode a long while. The moon made everything al- 
most as light as day, so that they could see very clearly in 
the woods through which they were now passing. 

Now and then a fox would run by, and some bird that had 
wakened would sing out a sleepy little song. 

The children liked it very much, for they had never before 
been in the woods at night They had always been home in 
their beds at that hour. 

“I am tired, Brother,” the little girl said at last. 

“So am I,” said Brother. “Let’s stop and go to sleep for 
a while.” 



BROTHER AND SISTER 


133 


“Go to sleep in the woods?” 

“Yes; why not? We can lie down on some soft moss and 
we will be very comfortable. Here,” — and he jumped down 
from his goat— “I’ll show you.” 

So they lay down in each other’s arms. A goat was on 
either side, and the dog was curled up as close to the children 
as he could get. 

They were so comfortable that 
in a few minutes they were all 
five fast asleep. 

They never woke up until the 
sun was streaming through the 
trees. The first thing they did 
was to bathe in a little brook that 
ran by. Jeff jumped in and had 
a nice swim. The goats only drank some water. 

There were lots of berries growing near them, so that the 
children found plenty to eat, and had all they wanted for 
breakfast and were soon on their way again. 

— where Jeff was leading them, riding to the End-of-the-earth. 

When they reached Stella’s (home the Brownies came run- 
ning out to see what the tinkle, tinkle of bells could be. 

How surprised they were when they saw two goats, ridden 
by two children, with a dog jumping and barking on ahead. 

Jeff ran up to one of the Brownies. “Hello,” the Brownie 
called to him; “you are so big that you frighten me almost 
to death. You haven’t yet drunk out of the Get-little-pool. 



134 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 



You ought to do that before you come so near to me or to 
Stella.” 

“I want to talk with you a bit before I do that,” Jeff an- 
swered. 

“Very well, then,” said the Brownie, “but stay where you 
are. Don’t come any nearer. You are too large.” 

“I won’t hurt you,” Jeff said to him. “I wouldn’t hurt any 
one. Don’t you know that the dog is the best friend that peo- 
ple have? Take me, for instance; I love Brother and Sister 
more than anything in the world; there isn’t anything I 
wouldn’t do for them. That is really how we happen to be 
here.” 

“What do you mean?” the Brownie asked. 


BROTHER AND SISTER 


135 


“I mean,” — and Jeff squatted down on his hind legs — “that 
the reason we are here is because I had heard all the animals 
and birds talking about Stella and how she makes wishes come 
true. So I brought the two children here. They don’t know 
anything about Stella yet because they cannot understand when 
animals and birds talk. The children think that we can’t talk 
and that our sounds are only noises and don’t mean anything. 
So I, knowing as I do about the End-of-the-earth Fairy, have 
always wanted to lead them here. I was under the little boy’s 
bed when I heard them say that they were going to get up and 
go out. I thought it would be a good chance to bring them to 
Stella — So I did, and here we are.” 

“Now that you are here, what do you want?” the Brownie 
asked. 

“My wish is that Stella should do something for the two 
children.” 

“What?” asked the Brownie. 

“I don’t quite know,” Jeff answered. “Stella would know 
better than I. I am going to tell her that I want her to think 
of the loveliest thing she possibly can to make the children 
happy, and, whatever it may be, to do it for them. You see, 
I love them so very much that I want them always to be 
happy — even after they are no longer children but have grown 
up. Do you think Stella could think of something that would 
always keep them happy?” 

“How should I know?” the Brownie said. “I think she 
can do anything though; in fact, I know it,” he added. “I 


136 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

will go and tell her what you have just said, and then you 
and she can talk together. While I am gone, go and drink 
out of the Get-little-pool, and make the children do the same 
thing. Will you be able to make them do it?” 

“Yes, indeed,” Jeff said. “They are so thirsty that all I 
will have to do is to lead them to the Get-little-pool, and the 
minute they see it they will want to drink from it.” 

And that was exactly what happened. Jeff ran to the chil- 
dren, took the little boy’s hand in his mouth and led him to 
the pool. The little girl followed. 

“Brother,” she cried when they first saw the pool, “see, there 
is some water. Let us kneel beside it and drink. I am aw- 
fully thirsty.” 

The moment they had tasted the water the children and 
Jeff became very, very small; in fact, they were so small that 
their goats could- 
n’t even see them, 
and began run- 
ning here and 
there looking for 
them. 

Another thing 
that happened 
was, that as soon 
as they had tasted 
the water they sud- 
denly could un- 
derstand Jeff 



BROTHER AND SISTER 


137 


when he spoke to them, and this was what he said to them : 

“Don’t be frightened, Brother and Sister. Even though we 
are so tiny, everything is all right. We will be made big again 
when it is time for us to go back to our world.” 

“What does all this mean, Jeff?” Sister asked. “Why did 
you bring us here?” 



“Yes, why?” Brother also asked. “Tell us all about every- 
thing and tell us why we are suddenly so small. I don’t like 
it.” 

“Neither do I,” the little girl said. 

They felt differently, however, after Jeff had explained 
everything to them, and they were glad that they had come. 
They were so curious to know what was going to happen next 
that they could hardly wait to see Stella. 

Just then she came with the Brownie who had gone to fetch 
her. 


138 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

“Oh! Stella,” the little girl cried out; “you are the most 
beautiful thing I have ever seen. May I touch your dress?” 

“Certainly,” said Stella. “It is made out of rose petals.” 

“What is a petal?” the little boy asked. 

“A petal,” answered Stella, “is a flower leaf; not a leaf on 
the stem of the flower, but one of the leaves that are part of 
the flower itself.” 

“Have you many dresses?” the little girl asked. 

“Yes, indeed,” said Stella; “I have a dress made out of every 
kind of flower.” 

“What a lot you must have!” said the little boy. “But don’t 
they fade?” 

“No,” she said, and seeing that they were wondering why, 
she added, so that they would understand, “They don’t fade 
because they belong to me, and I, as you know, am a fairy.” 

“Who makes them for you?” was the next question. 

Stella smiled. 

“There is an insect called the darning-needle. I have one 
who sews for me. My darning-needle has made all my 
dresses.” The Fairy turned to Jeff: “My Brownie told me 
that it was you who brought the two children here. You did 
right, and I am glad, for it is a good thing. Your wish is very 
wonderful, and I am going to make it come true.” 

“What is Jeff’s wish?” asked both the children when they 
heard this. 

“I didn’t know Jeff ever wanted anything that I did not 
give him,” added the little boy. “He always has plenty to eat 


BROTHER AND SISTER 


139 


and drink, and my sister and I never play without him, and he 
sleeps near me and we are always good to (him — never tease 
him or anything like that and we never even pull his tail.” 

“That is why Jeff’s wish is what it is,” Stella said. “He 
loves you both so much that he wants nothing for himself. 
What he wants is for you . He wishes that I should give you 
the loveliest thing I could possibly think of.” 

“How dear of Jeff,” the children both said, as they put 
their arms around the dog’s neck and hugged him. “And 
what is the loveliest thing you can think of?” the little girl 
asked. 

“That you should both always be happy,” and Stella smiled 
on them as she said this. “I am going to wave my wand three 
times over you, and after that all your life you will always be 
happy.” 

While she waved the wand above their heads she did not 
stop speaking: “You shall both have love in your hearts, and 
as long as one loves, one is happy. You shall love everything 
and all people, all animals, birds, fish and everything that lives, 
and never hurt any one or anything. You shall love every- 
thing that grows. You shall love the colors and the sounds of 
this wonderful world of ours, and the clouds that float above us 
in the sky across the sun. You shall love to see the moon that 
shines at night and makes everything so beautiful. You shall 
love the rain and will see and listen to it with pleasure. Chil- 
dren, as long as you love everything — you will be good — and 
happy. I could not give you more than this.” 


140 THE WISHING-FAIRY’S ANIMAL FRIENDS 

The two children could hardly believe their ears. They 
were so glad that tears of joy were in their eyes, and they al- 
most thought it was all a dream. 

They both rushed into Stella’s arms and kissed and thanked 
her. 

Afterwards, after they had drunk from the Get-big-pool and 
were again as big as they had been before, after they had ridden 
their goats home, even after they were grown-up people and 
had troubles that all grown-up people have, all through their 
lives they were happy because they loved every one and every- 
thing. 

Don’t ever forget this; for what the Wishing-Fairy gave to 
them she has also given to you. 



























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